


Strangeness & Charm

by Woolfhounds



Category: The Lost Boys (1987), The Lost Boys (Movies)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Biting, Drugging with vampire blood, Eventual Smut, Eventual references to illness, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, General Vampire Shenanigans, I swear a lot and I'm sorry, Pining, References to Drugs, Smoking, Smut, Swearing, Underage Drinking, Vampire Bites, Vampire Sex, Vampire Turning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:47:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 51,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28042656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Woolfhounds/pseuds/Woolfhounds
Summary: It's Nadia's last summer in Santa Carla before she transfers to NYU. She meets a mysterious young man on the boardwalk who might just convince her to stay.NOTE: I deleted the previous version of this fic (Just You) and decided to re-work it and upload it again. I wasn’t happy with the story when I read it over again recently. I’ve learned a lot writing Sick Child and Tainted Love, grown more comfortable with my own characterizations, and I wanted to give this piece the re-write I think it deserves. When I first put this up, I hadn't written anything for about 5-6 years so I was R U S T Y. This fic moved too fast originally and I kind of ran out of steam. I wasn’t sure how to characterize the boys and wasn’t fully comfortable writing them when I first started this story.I feel a lot more confident in my writing skills now, so I’m re-uploading this and changing a bunch of stuff. If you previously bookmarked this fic, I’m so sorry that I deleted it, but please know that I had my reasons. If you feel like checking out this new version, I’d be extremely grateful :) I’ll be posting this and Tainted Love simultaneously because I’m on break from work and my brain needs a lot of shit to do in the meantime.
Relationships: David (Lost Boys)/Original Female Character(s), Paul (Lost Boys)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 39





	1. Up the Wolves

_ Santa Carla California - May, 1986 _

“ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME.” Reilly screams as their feet hit the boardwalk. “I can’t believe him.  _ FUCK!  _ How did you not just strangle him right there in that bedroom?!”

The smell of cotton candy and stale donuts hits Nadia like a truck. It’s sickening, yet she’s suddenly flooded with fond memories of her childhood. Crowded beaches on Saturday afternoons and eating ice cream with Reilly until they were absolutely sick. Nadia sighs, tearing herself away from the memory so that she can actually focus on what Reilly is trying to say - well, scream - as they weave through the crowds. The wind coming off of the water makes her shiver and she pulls her ratty black jacket tight around her shoulders. Reilly bounces ahead, her elbow-length brown hair whipping in the breeze. 

“I mean, seriously, Nadia, I don’t know how you kept your cool. He was making out with someone right in front of you! I would have popped him one right in the mouth.”

Nadia shrugs, defeated.

“He’s not worth it.”

“You’ve got a lot more class than I do, girl,” Reilly mumbles.

They weave through endless crowds of people, lights, whoops, and shrieks until they find a break in the crowd and Nadia has a chance to catch her breath. 

“He’s a dick and he doesn’t deserve an ounce of my attention,” she says, a false sense of confidence filling her voice. “Not even a smack in the mouth.”

But she can’t stop the realization that’s washing over her. She held it together while she stormed out of the party and for the entire car ride to the boardwalk, but now she can feel herself beginning to crumble. The reality is, she lost the person she thought she loved tonight – and she thought he loved her. A year and a half of memories - of laughter, private jokes, fights, and strolling the boardwalk hand in hand is gone. Obliterated. And it’s all his fucking fault. Rage bubbles in her chest and threatens to spill out of her mouth. She wants to scream and hit things, preferably Nathan’s face. But she won’t. She’s better than that. Better than him. 

Nadia turns her head, trying to focus on the way the light makes the ocean twinkle in the darkness instead of the lump that’s forming in her throat. She was warned about Nathan, and she didn’t listen. Reilly watches, helpless at first, before putting her hands on her friend’s shoulders.

“Hey, look at me,” she whispers.

Nadia shakes her head and Reilly cranes her neck so that she can’t avoid her best friend’s intense gaze. 

“Is it because you’re crying?”

“Fuck, you’re such a bitch sometimes,” Nadia laughs through tears. 

“Look at me!” Reilly urges.

Nadia whips her head around to meet Reilly’s stare and her hazel eyes lock with Reilly’s brown ones. Tears spill freely down her cheeks, but she quickly flicks them away, watching them soak into the boardwalk. Reilly clears her throat. 

“Nathan Hamilton is a piece of dog shit. He doesn’t deserve you, and he never will. We’re going to get some cotton candy, some beers, and we’re going to plot Nathan’s demise while we get absolutely shitfaced. Do you know why?”

“Becausehe’strash,” Nadia whispers.

“I’m sorry, Nadia, I can’t hear you.”

“He’s  _ trash _ !” Nadia shouts. It feels freeing and she begins to laugh. Reilly grins.

“That’s my girl. Come on!”

Nadia glances past Reilly to the carousel. She’s felt eyes on her the entire time they’ve been standing at the edge of the boardwalk. The ride spins slowly, its off-kilter and off-key music blaring into the night. Everyone appears to be focused on the ride or each other, but then she spots him. Around her age, with a platinum blonde mullet and a long, dark coat. He’s pale – to the point that she wonders if he’s anemic or something – with icy blue eyes that cut right through her. That make her forget. She’d like to forget right now. There’s a cigarette stashed behind his left ear, and a small earring dangling from it. He’s definitely her type – secretly, at least. He definitely doesn’t think that polo shirts and khakis count as casual wear. 

_ Man, fuck you, Nathan _ , she thinks bitterly.

The boy won’t stop staring at her, and a small smirk creeps across his lips once he realizes that she’s noticed him. Nadia’s chest tightens and she feels her skin grow hot. Her stomach does a series of backflips and she feels like she might spew the beer she consumed earlier tonight at Toni’s house party. She bites her lip and her cheeks go pink. There’s something menacing about him that puts her on edge yet makes her curious. The flush creeps down her chest and she pulls her jacket even tighter around her body to disguise it. Reilly, forever obtuse, takes her hand and drags her toward the carousel. Nadia begins to panic. The closer she gets, the more her guts churn. The boy hops on to one of the horses, his feet just barely touching the ground. He tracks her movements and lights a cigarette. Nadia tries to ignore the pressure of his gaze, but finds herself checking over her shoulder every few seconds as they pass by the carousel. 

“Hey, do you still have your fake college ID?” Reilly asks, stopping right in front of the carousel. Nadia screams internally, gives her head a shake, and stutters.

“I – uh – I’m – yeah, but I don’t think the beer garden is going to take them, though.”

“Nadia, I saw the manager selling weed to a twelve-year-old last weekend. I think we’re going to be okay.”

Nadia gives Reilly’s hand two quick, gentle pulses, their silent signal that something’s up. Reilly’s eyebrows raise and she inches closer to her best friend.

“What’s up?” she whispers. 

“Do you see that guy over there?” Reilly whips her head around and Nadia sighs in quiet frustration. “That’s slick.”

“What?!”

“You are the least subtle person I know.”

Reilly sneers. 

“Are you talking about the Mad Max reject? Yeah, I see him.”

“He’s been staring at me since we stopped by the railing.”

Reilly raises one eyebrow and grins. 

“You think he’s cute.”

Nadia offers a half shrug and while her best friend throws her head back and cackles.

“Seriously?! We’ve been friends for this long and you’ve neglected to tell me that B-rated Billy Idol is your ideal man?”

“Maybe he reads a lot of books.”

“Last I checked, Playboy was a magazine, and that guy looks like he keeps stacks of them under his bed with the pages all stuck together -- Look, Nadia, I know you’re in pain, but there are other, much less self-destructive ways to deal with this!”

“Like you ogling that bartender with the shitty Tom Selleck mustache in the beer garden?”

Reilly rolls her eyes. 

“It makes him look fun and carefree, okay?! And he’s super into philosophy.”

“Reilly, he’s like thirty, and divorced.”

Reilly throws her arms dramatically into the air and huffs. 

“All right! We both have terrible taste sometimes! Can we  _ please _ just go and get drunk?”

Nadia takes one last glance at the carousel. The boy with the platinum blonde mullet flicks his cigarette into a perfect arc and jumps off the horse as the ride comes to a stop. He winks at her and disappears into the crowd. She breathes a small sigh of relief but feels a twinge of sadness shoot through her. Though, the feeling doesn’t linger long enough for her to think too much about it. 

“Okay… Okay, let’s go.”

“Yes!” Reilly shouts. “I love you. Have I told you that?”

“Only after deeply manipulating me.”

“Well, let’s save that for couples therapy, shall we? Let’s goooo!”

Reilly grabs her hand and practically mows down tourists to get to the beer garden where they flash their fake IDs. The bouncer seems much more interested in checking out a group of girls near the rollercoaster than actually doing his job, but it suits Nadia and Reilly just fine. They find a picnic table closest to the bar. Reilly grabs two lukewarm beers and plunks one down in front of Nadia. 

“To ditching your shitty boyfriend and moving on with your life!” she bellows.

Nadia rolls her eyes and unenthusiastically raises her glass.

“Woooo…”

Reilly drains her glass, slamming it down with a disgusted look on her face. 

“That’s good.”

“Is it?” Nadia asks, sniffing her beer. “Because this smells rancid, and you look nauseous.”

“I feel great,” Reilly announces through a belch. She covers her mouth and hiccups.

“Yeah? You’re turning grey. I think you might be sick.”

“It’s the lights.”

“The lights make you sick?”

“It’s a terrible condition.”

Nadia laughs and takes a small sip of beer despite her previous reservations. It’s warm, cheap, and far too sweet. She coughs and puts it back down on the table. Reilly rubs her hands together eagerly and looks at the bar. 

“I’m grabbing another one.”

“Do you actually want another one or is it because your favorite mustachio’d bartender just started his shift?”

“It can be two things,” Reilly quips.

“Try not to throw up on him!” Nadia calls as Reilly saunters toward the bar, stopping only to look back and flip her off. 

Nadia laughs and watches her lean over, tapping the bartender on the back of the shoulder. His name is Mick. He’s not actually thirty, he just looks like it. It’s probably the mustache. He’s in his mid-twenties, and he’s a film student at UC Santa Carla. He was actually married, though, when he was eighteen, and then divorced by the time he was 20. Reilly likes him because he likes cool movies, he gives her free shots, and can string a sentence together without sounding like a complete pig. It doesn’t take much to be impressed by a guy here. As long as they’re remotely intelligent and attractive, they get snapped up quickly. Nadia watches them. Mick’s face lights up when he talks to Reilly and he seems to really like her. Nadia smiles to herself.

“I’m happy, not jealous,” she whispers to herself. “Happy, not jealous.”

As she’s about to take another sip of stale beer, she notices a figure in a long black coat swoop toward the bar and her heart stops. It’s the guy from the carousel. Reilly turns around and mouths: _OH MY GOD_. Nadia exhales into her beer, trying her hardest not to throw up. Mick leans in to take his order. Nadia keeps her eyes on the table, suddenly fascinated by the grain in the wood. A shadow envelops her and the cute guy from the carousel slides into the seat in front of her, grabbing her beer cup and replacing it with one filled with dark liquid. 

“I upgraded you,” he drawls. 

She’s fire engine red and it’s only getting worse by the second. Her brown eyes flick upward and meet a pair of icy blue ones. He’s even more gorgeous up close – pale, with intense yet delicate features, full lips that hold on to the end of an unlit cigarette, and sharp cheekbones. She breathes in deeply, trying to calm the beating of her own heart. He smiles. 

“I’m David. I saw you over by the carousel earlier.”

“Yeah, I know who you are.” She immediately regrets both the words and the way she says them. “Sorry, I meant, I recognized you from earlier.

“I got it,” he says softly. 

“I’m Nadia.”

“Pretty name.” He takes a sip of his drink. “I was hoping I’d find you again.”

“You’re quick,” she laughs. “I thought I’d lost you in the crowd.”

“Well,” David replies, lighting his cigarette. “Your friend’s voice tends to carry.”

Nadia’s stomach drops.

“Oh… God. Reilly is just – Reilly says things that are…” She clears her throat. “Reilly’s an idiot.”

David laughs and offers her a cigarette. She’s not a big smoker, only when she’s really drunk or a very cute boy offers her one. So, in this case, she accepts. Gingerly, she reaches out and accidentally brushes his hand as she grasps it. Goosebumps shoot up her entire body. There’s no way he doesn’t notice.

“I appreciate you defending me, but she’s right. I’m definitely more well-versed in Playboy than any kind of highbrow literature.” He pauses and takes a pull off of his smoke. “Just the pictures, though. I can’t actually read.”

Nadia’s eyes widen.

“Oh… that’s—”

“I’m kidding,” he purrs. “I promise.”

Another laugh. He flicks his Zippo and holds it out for her, encouraging her to light her cigarette. She grasps his wrist gently to steady herself. His skin feels like a lightning strike against hers, but she doesn’t want to let go. David moistens his lips with the tip of his tongue. They sit in silence for a few minutes, alternating between smoking, sipping at their drinks, and making brief but flirtatious eye contact. Nadia feels butterflies in her stomach so intensely, she’s not sure if it’s David causing them, or the mixture of rum and nicotine now coursing through her system. It’s been a long time since she’s felt like this. Helpless, coursing with adrenaline, teetering on the edge of self-control. Maybe it’s the way he carries himself - confident, dark, dangerous. She likes it. Briefly, she allows herself to wonder what’s underneath all of those layers he’s got on. Her eyes trace the outline of his lips, and she wonders if his kiss is as intense as his gaze and shifts in her seat. David watches her with a devilish smirk plastered on his face and his eyes blazing. Being with Nathan didn’t feel like this – even when they first met and even on their best days together. She watches David scan the beer garden, his chiseled features carved out in the low light. Fuck, he’s gorgeous.

“Do you wanna go for a ride?” He asks suddenly. “I’ve got a bike.”

“Like an actual bike or a bicycle? Because I’ve been fooled before.”

David laughs.

“A Triumph.”

He gestures to a massive motorcycle parked just outside of the beer garden. She doesn’t know anything about motorcycles, but it looks shiny, impressive, and intimidating. It matches his personality. Nadia sighs and tucks her hair behind her ear.

“My mom told me not to go anywhere with strangers.”

He feigns offense. 

“I’m a stranger?”

“Well, I don’t really know anything about you,” Nadia confesses. 

David smirks.

“You know my name and you know I have a bike… You know I can’t read.”

She grins.

“I also know you’re prone to stretching the truth a little.”

He chuckles and reaches forward, tracing a circle on the top of her hand with his index finger. Nadia can’t help the way her breath shudders in her chest. Her heart hammers against her ribcage and she’s turning at least ten shades of red. The smile that spreads across his face is breathtaking.

“Okay. You got me.” A beat. “You know that I think you’re beautiful.”

“And why do you think that?”

“Because I wouldn’t waste my time otherwise.”

Nadia’s eyes go wide and she bites her lip.

“And now you’ve revealed to me that you’re shallow and just picked me out of a crowd because of what I look like.”

David puffs on his cigarette.

“Haven’t you done the same thing?” His voice is low and gravelly. 

Every inch of her body is on fire, pulsing and screaming at her to leap across the table and do things to him that would probably get them both arrested. He must feel this too, he’s just much better at maintaining his composure. She’s certain that her entire face is red and she glances at Reilly, who is absolutely shitfaced and in an intense conversation with Mick. Nadia’s eyes flick back toward David. He hasn’t stopped staring at her.

“That’s completely unfair,” she whispers.

David chuckles and pulls his hand away. She has to bite her lip to keep from making the most desperate, forlorn sound she’s ever made in her life. David tosses back his drink and motions toward the exit.

“Let’s go.”

“I have class and work tomorrow.” He chuckles. She sighs. “Look, you seem really nice, but I kind of just got out of a serious relationship and I’m not really looking —”

“It’s a bike ride, not a marriage proposal,” he laughs and crushes his cigarette into the table before exhaling a large cloud of smoke. Nadia looks away, embarrassed, but he’s determined to catch her eye. “What if I just drove you home?”

For a brief moment, she has a fantasy about climbing onto the back of David’s bike just as Nathan approaches to apologize. David would smirk at him and Nadia would wrap her arms around David’s waist, both of them laughing as they took off into the night. After what Nathan did to her tonight, she deserves to have fun with a cute guy.

“I guess… that would be okay.”

David nods and drains his drink. She mirrors him, downing the very full glass of rum and coke in a feeble attempt to impress him. The liquor stings the back of her throat and she coughs, struggling to get it all down. Some of it spills onto her t-shirt. David watches her with a bemused expression, sliding his hands into a pair of black leather gloves as she stands up, suppressing a belch. 

“I just have to tell Reilly I’m leaving.”

“Of course,” David whispers.

He lingers near the exit while Nadia approaches and tugs on the end of Reilly’s shirt. She turns around, bleary-eyed and grinning from ear to ear.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m gonna split. David’s giving me a ride home.”

Reilly glances at the exit. David has lit another cigarette and is puffing away on it, eyes flitting over the crowd. She raises her eyebrows at Nadia.

“David?”

“Yeah. His name is David.”

Reilly’s drunken grin is both hilarious and infuriating all in the same breath. 

“Does he have a last name?”

“If I told you, you wouldn’t remember it anyway.”

She puts a hand on her chest and scoffs.

“Are you saying I don’t care?”

“No,” Nadia laughs. “I’m saying that by the time you finish that beer and the four that follow, you’re not going to be able to remember much of anything.”

Reilly pouts while Nadia grasps her by the shoulders and presses their noses together.

“Be careful. I’ll see you for that English presentation tomorrow and we’ll walk to work, okay?”

They both work the diner on the other side of town. Nadia’s aunt owns it and her mom practically forced her to get a summer job so that she could save up to transfer to NYU in the fall. Her mother never thought it would actually happen, but Nadia got her acceptance letter yesterday and hasn’t had the heart to tell Reilly or her parents yet. Reilly grabs the sides of Nadia’s face.

“I’m really proud of you for not being so uptight.”

Nadia pushes her back toward the bar.

“Okay, I’m going now!”

She attempts to walk away, but Reilly yanks her backward by the wrist. Nadia almost collapses while David watches from the entrance with a slight smirk on his face. She can’t read him.

“Use a condom,” Reilly whispers, her beer-soaked breath practically knocking Nadia over. “Safety fir —”

“Oh my  _ God _ , you are so fucking embarrassing!” Nadia hisses. “Goodbye, Reilly.”

“BYEEE!” Reilly screams. She jumps up and down, flailing her arms. “BYE, DAVID!”

He gives her a half-hearted slate as Nadia approaches him.

“What’d I tell you?” She quips. “Idiot.”

David slips his hand around her waist and pulls her close. Her heart practically stops. He smells like leather, cigarettes, and motor oil. Most boys just smell like bag cologne and sweat, but she could get used to this. She stumbles to the bike. David flashes her a wry smile.

“Having trouble?”

Nadia shakes her head wordlessly as they approach and he hops on. The music and noise from the crowd has faded, but Nadia still hears the occasional scream and yelp from the rides.

“I’ve never been on one of these before,” she confesses, approaching the bike like a timid animal. 

“Hold on to me and don’t worry about the rest.”

She climbs on behind him and wraps her arms around his waist. He’s smaller and wirier than she would have guessed, but he feels strong underneath all of that fabric. The coat makes him look so much bigger and more intimidating. The bike rumbles to life beneath them and before she can take a breath, David takes off. Nadia lets out a panicked scream, her grip around his waist tightening. The wind stings her eyes and she buries her face in the back of his shoulder. His body tenses as he shifts gears and veers the motorcycle off of the boardwalk and onto the street. The engine roars and he seeds up. Nadia screams again.

“DAVID!”

“Where do you live?” He calls out.

“1649 82nd Street!”

He turns his bike in the direction of her house. Cars, streetlamps, and pedestrians become a blur and he’s driving so fast that she feels like she might be sick. She clutches him tighter, eyes slamming shut as they speed down the street. David dodges in between a few cars while Nadia is determined not to open her eyes until they come to a complete stop. He blows past stop lights and stop signs, his laughter reverberating through his back as people swear at him and honk their horns. Eventually, the bike stops and Nadia lifts her head, eyes still closed.

“You can come out now,” she hears David purr.

She opens one eye at a time. He didn’t drive her to any place sketchy to murder her, that’s a good sign. She breathes a tiny sigh of relief. They’re parked in her driveway. Her mom’s jeep is parked out front. Nadia glances down at her watch.

“Shit,” she whispers.

David turns his head.

“Hmm?”

“I’m late for curfew."

“Curfew?”

The words almost sound like a judgement, but she chooses to ignore them.

“You don’t have a curfew?”

David shakes his head. He must be older than her. She wonders by how much. Nadia climbs off of his bike and shoves her hands in the pockets of her jacket.

“Thanks for the ride.”

He smirks. He’s so pretty, it makes her want to die.

“No problem.”

They stare at each other in silence, eyes flitting over one another’s features. Nadia feels her skin growing hotter by the second, a dark crimson flush creeping up her chest and neck. She shifts uncomfortably and adjusts her purse on her shoulder. David smirks and traces it with his gaze before his eyes land on her lips. He tucks his bottom lip under his teeth and smiles. The sight makes Nadia’s knees knock together and she prays she has the ability to walk to the front door without collapsing like a newborn foal. 

“Are you attracted to me?” He asks.

His brazen question catches her off guard. Nadia’s heart rattles against her ribcage, mouth a desert. Her brain fumbles for the words and her thoughts running through her head so fast that she can’t seem to pin one down.

“Attraction is one of the many things I’m feeling.”

David arches an eyebrow and closes the gap between them.

“What else are you feeling?”

_ Hot, sweaty, nervous, and about to throw up?  _

Secretly, he terrifies her. He looks like the kind of guy who spends his free time breaking hearts. There’s something sinister lurking in his eyes that both repels her and makes her want to know more. Buuuuut, would it be so bad if she got her heart broken by a gorgeous biker with a mullet and eyes that can practically see into her fucking soul? Even if he did hurt her, she’d be on a plane to New York by August. She’d forget all about him in a couple of weeks.

Nadia looks over her shoulder at her house. Instinctively, she tucks a hand into the sleeve of her jacket and gnaws on the denim, a bad habit from her youth. The porch is illuminated by a single dangling bulb that flickers every few seconds. She can feel David’s eyes on her, studying the minuscule movements in her face as she tries to maintain her composure. She turns back to him and sucks in a deep breath.

“I really should go.”

A gloved hand reaches out to brush against her cheek. A fire erupts in her belly and she swallows hard while trying to maintain an aloof, neutral expression. 

_ Don’t let him see that he’s gotten to you. Just breathe and play hard to get _ .  _ Be more like Reilly _ . 

She’s always admired her friend’s natural ability to get any guy she wants. Reilly is naturally flirtatious whereas Nadia has needed some help over the years. She’s gotten better at it, but she tends to get flustered easily, hence the red splotches on her chest caused by her natural nervous tendencies. David doesn’t seem to notice or care. His eyes pierce hers and he tilts his head. 

“I want to see you again.”

“M — me?” She squeaks. “You want to see me again?”

“Who else would I be talking to?”

“Uh, sure, I’ll give you my number.” She begins to dig into her purse for a pen and a piece of paper. There’s gotta be one in here somewhere. David’s light chuckle cuts her off.

“Don’t need it,” he replies. 

She quirks an eyebrow. 

“What, are you gonna send me a carrier pigeon?” 

David grins, but before he can come up with a witty retort, her mother’s voice slices through the air.

“Nadia! You’re late!”

Her brown eyes go wide with panic and she looks back to see her mother wrapped in a black robe with a cigarette dangling from her fingertips. Her hair is set in rollers and she looks furious. She’s probably been up most of the night waiting for Nadia to come home on time. Nadia turns back to David, flushed, and overwhelmed. 

“I have to go. I’m sorry. Th — thank you for the ride, David.”

“No problem, Nadia.”

Butterflies form in her stomach and she grins.

“NADIA!” Her mother shouts. 

A soft growl escapes her lips and David winks at her before revving up his bike.

“I’ll see you soon.”


	2. Come As You Are

Nadia watches David peel out of her driveway before turning and walking up toward the house. Her mother tosses her cigarette into the bushes and frowns.

“What have we told you about being on time?”

“Chill out, mom,” Nadia whispers, blowing past her and wrenching the front door open. “I’m like ten minutes late.”

“You’re lucky your father’s asleep,” her mother mutters. “And who was that boy? What happened to Nathan?”

Nadia rips her jacket off and hangs it on the coat rack as her mother quietly closes the door. 

“I dumped Nathan tonight.”

“What?!”

Nadia’s anger feels like a raging river. She holds back tears and her throat tightens. David almost made her forget just how shitty Nathan made her feel tonight. The white-hot rage of opening Toni’s bedroom door and seeing him writhing on top of someone else comes flooding back. 

“He was seeing someone behind my back.”

“That little… shitfuck!” Nadia’s mother hisses. She almost never curses and it catches Nadia completely off guard. “You know, I never liked him.”

“I think you’re obligated to say that as my mom,” Nadia chuckles.

Her mother brushes a strand of hair out of Nadia’s face, looking at her with nothing but warmth and love in her eyes. 

“Well, I’m glad you’re free of him, but be careful with this new one, huh? I don’t trust boys with motorcycles.”

“I’m not even sure if we’re a thing, mom,” Nadia laughs. “I met him at the boardwalk tonight. He just gave me a ride home.”

Her mother leans in and sniffs at her. Nadia flinches and pulls back.

“Personal space, mom, Jesus!”

“Have you been smoking?”

“David smokes,” she lies. She should have chewed some gum before she left the beer garden.

“David?”

Nadia heaves an exasperated sigh.

“Motorcycle guy.”

“Well, you’d better not pick up the habit.” She leans in and kisses her on the cheek. “Get to bed, yeah?”

Nadia nods and begins to trudge up the stairs before turning back and glancing at her mother.

“Hey, when does my curfew become officially a thing of the past? I’m 20 years old.”

“When you start taking it seriously and coming home on time,” her mother retorts. A small grin flickers across her face. 

Nadia rolls her eyes and quietly walks to her bedroom. The rules in this house are fucking ridiculous, she thinks. She pushes the pile of laundry on her bed onto the floor, strips off her clothing, and changes into a ratty oversized t-shirt before crawling into bed and grabbing her diary. As she opens it and grabs a pen from her bedside table, a tap at her window startles her. She stops to listen, muscles clenched, ears tuned into the silence of the house. She hears it again and carefully pushes the blankets aside to creep toward the sound. Her heart begins to beat quickly. The tapping gets louder, but not enough to arouse suspicion from her parents. With trembling fingers, she pushes her curtains aside. David is hanging by one arm from the ladder her dad left outside when he was painting this afternoon. She jumps backward and covers her mouth before exploding into quiet giggles. He motions for her to open the window. Nadia opens the latch and sticks her head outside.

“If my parents catch you they’ll freak the fuck out!”

“I forgot to give you something,” David rumbles. 

“What? What are you talking about?”

His fingers wrap around the back of her neck to pull her toward him. Lips brush ever so gently against hers until they meet in the sweetest and softest kiss she’s ever felt in her life. Her heart stops and her stomach does a thousand backflips. She tastes nicotine and rum, instantly craving more. Sparks shoot through her body as his fingers massage tiny circles into her skin and a warmth begins to pool in the pit of her stomach. Nadia gasps and moans against him. If she fell out of his window right now, she would break her legs, but it would be entirely worth it. Maybe David would give her a ride to the hospital, hold her hand while she got her casts put on. He’d kiss her knuckles and bring her one of those little Jell-O cups. That wouldn’t be so terrible, would it?

He pulls away before either of them can increase the intensity of the kiss and smiles - not one of his snide smirks, a real smile, one where he shows his teeth and his eyes sparkle. She feels like she could pass out.

“Goodnight, Nadia.”

She’s dumbfounded, staring blankly as her trembling hand reaches up to touch her lips. This can’t be real. There’s no way this is real. It’s like something out of one of those cheap harlequin novels her mom reads on vacation.

“Wh—”

David jumps down from the ladder and walks away without so much as a glance backward. She leans against the windowsill and watches him climb back onto his bike, her heart thudding like a jackhammer. A knock at her door makes her jump and she whacks her head on her window.

“Fuck!” She hisses, rubbing the top of her skull.

“Nadia?”

“I’m going to bed, mom!”

She hurls herself back onto the mattress and tosses her diary on to the floor. There’s no way she’ll be able to sleep after this.

**~~~**

As suspected, she wakes up exhausted. She didn’t get to sleep until sometime after 4am, and all she could think about was that kiss. Her mom knocks on her door at around 7:00 to signal that breakfast is ready and Nadia trudges down the stairs, almost tripping over her dog Horatio in the process. He’s a big samoyed with an even bigger attitude. He yowls dramatically and rolls onto his back, playing dead. 

“I barely touched you,” she grumbles. “You know, you’ve been told to stop laying here. One of these days you’re gonna kill one of us.”

Horatio growls and flops over onto his side. Nadia crouches down to scratch him behind the ears.

“I love you, you big dumbass.”

She wanders into the kitchen. Her mother is dancing to the radio while her dad reads the newspaper. There’s a big glass of orange juice, a bowl of cereal, and a carton of milk set out on the table for her. Nadia rubs her eyes and blinks a few times, adjusting to the fluorescent light of the kitchen mixing with the sunlight pouring through the window. Her dad’s head pops up and he grins.

“Look who finally decided to join us!”

“Good morning, dad,” she mumbles.

“You got in late last night,” he remarks.

Nadia glances at her mother who winks at her. She clears her throat.

“Uh, yeah, my bus was a little late so I got in just past curfew.”

“Not a problem,” Nadia’s mother chimes in. “I waited up for her.”

For as much shit as she gives Nadia, the woman is a lifesaver in these kinds of situations. She’s always insisted that she was a cool mom, and for the most part, she is - except for going along with the curfew that had been put in place. She’s loving, gives Nadia space when she needs it, and other than Reilly, she’s the only person Nadia can actually come to with her problems. She jams her toast in her mouth, tosses her orange juice back, and belches. Her father shakes his head while her mom stifles a laugh.

“I gotta shower and get to school,” she says. “Thanks for breakfast!”

“Do you want a ride to school?” Her dad asks. 

Nadia shakes her head.

“I’ve got my bike.”

Reilly was supposed to pick her up this morning, but she has a feeling the poor thing will be walking to school - well, more like trudging. She retreats up the stairs and into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Quickly, she showers, tosses her hair into a ponytail, and dresses before slipping out the front door. Her bike is slick with morning dew and she wipes off the handlebars with the sleeve of her jacket before taking off toward the university. 

The campus is packed. Most people take early morning classes so that they can get them out of the way. Today is their last day before finals, and students seem to be rushing to and from their last classes. Nadia dashes into the English building and checks her watch. 8:15. She slides into the classroom, a sterile lecture hall with cream-colored walls and plush blue seats. Reilly is early, her face obscured by a hooded sweatshirt and a pair of sunglasses. Nadia covers her mouth, trying to hold back laughter, as she tosses her backpack onto the table and pulls out her binder and pen. Reilly reaches over and makes a “gimme” motion with her hands. Nadia rolls her eyes and presses a ballpoint pen into her friend’s hand.

“You’re a doll,” Reilly croaks. 

“You look like shit.”

“Fuck you too, bitch,” she shoots.

Nadia laughs and leans into her best friend.

“You know Dr. Isaac is gonna make you take those off.”

Reilly groans.

“Don’t make me think about that. Just let me enjoy the 15 minutes of tinted bliss I have before this fucking presentation.”

“I take it last night with Mick went well?”

“He’s still asleep in my dorm room,” Reilly chuckles. 

“Reilly,” she sighs.

“What? He’s fucking hot!”

“He looks like he belongs on an old west wanted poster.”

“Yeah, that’s my thing -- hey, you don’t get to judge who I fuck when you went home with that degenerate from the boardwalk last night!”

“It wasn’t like that,” Nadia mumbles, rolling her eyes. “He gave me a ride.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet he did,” Reilly laughs.

Nadia whacks her friend on the back of the head, relishing the small whimper that spills from her lips. Reilly turns to her with a big grin. She can tell her eyes are wide behind her reflective sunglasses.

“Seriously, though, how was he?”

“I have no idea, Reilly. Seriously. He dropped me off at home. My mom was already on the porch in her housecoat.”

Reilly groans.

“Rollers in her hair?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Face mask?”

“Not quite there yet.”

“Sorry he had to see that.”

“Me too.”

Nadia gathers their speaking notes for the presentation. The Iliad. Reilly’s first draft of her half of the presentation had an entire section devoted to the symbolism of the unicorn in the poem. Nadia had to be the one to tell her that there was no fucking unicorn in the book and if they said that out loud, they’d both bomb this class and it would be entirely her fault. She stayed in most of last weekend actually reading through their section and correcting everything. Dr. Isaac shuffles into the room, a mug of coffee in his hand and his little notebook tucked under his arm. Nadia sighs and shuffles her papers.

“He told me he wanted to see me again.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, it was weird.”

“What do you mean?”

“I went to give him my phone number, and he was like, _‘I don’t need it.’_ ” Nadia lowers her voice in an attempt to do her best impression of David. It winds up sounding like Kermit the Frog.

“What? He’s just going to happen to run into you again at the boardwalk or something?”

Nadia shrugs in response as Dr. Isaac begins the class and turns the lights down. Reilly sighs, relieved.

“Oh, praise Jesus...”

“We’ll be doing the presentations in alphabetical order, by group leader’s first name,” Dr. Isaac announces. “Adam? Would you like to kick us off?”

A burly jock and his flunkies make their way to the front of the lecture hall and begin their presentation. Nadia leans over to Reilly.

“After he dropped me off, he came to my window.”

“What?”

“Yeah, he was hanging off of it like a fucking spider monkey or something.”

“Oh, good job, Nadia. You dumped a loser and found yourself a creepy stalker to replace him.”

Nadia ignores the insult and looks around to make sure that everyone else is focused on the presentation and lowers her voice to the softest whisper she can muster.

“He kissed me.”

“What?!”

“I know!” Her voice rises to a very audible hiss.

“Dr. Isaac alert,” Reilly whispers.

Nadia glances up to see their professor glaring at them.

“We’ll talk more later,” Nadia whispers.

“Yep.”

Their presentation goes off without a hitch. Reilly keeps her sunglasses on despite Dr. Isaac’s protests. Once class is over, they walk to the cafeteria and grab a few sandwiches that look only somewhat questionable. Reilly practically devours hers in a second and drains two bottles of water in the process. She must be more hungover than she looks. Nadia watches with a bemused expression as her friend wipes her mouth and picks lettuce out of her teeth.

“Tell me about this kiss.”

“It was… not what I expected out of him.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, it was soft. Nice.”

“He climbed up the side of your house just to give you a _nice_ kiss? No tongue?”

“It was romantic!” Nadia exclaims.

“You don’t need romance, Nadia! You need to get railed by a hot guy who you know you’re never going to see again. You need to make a mistake. Look around this cafeteria. Any one of these guys could be that for you… except that guy. He looks like he keeps women in a dungeon.” Nadia shakes her head, stifling laughter as Reilly continues talking. “You don’t need this Romeo and Juliet shit fresh off of a breakup.”

“Romeo never climbed up Juliet’s balcony.”

“Yes, he did,” Reilly says, reaching over to snatch some of Nadia’s french fries. “I’ve seen that stupid play like three times.”

“No, he didn’t. He stood below it and compared her to the sun,” Nadia argues.

“Well, if you want a guy in a mullet reading you poetry from your front lawn, then I guess Billy Idol is your man.”

“That sounds nice, actually,” Nadia whispers. “Nathan never read me poetry.”

“Well, Nathan can barely spell his own last name.” Reilly gestures toward the clock. “We gotta get to work.”

Nadia hops onto her bicycle while Reilly climbs on to the front handlebars. They’ve been pulling this maniacal stunt since they were kids. They’ve actually got it down to a science and manage to ride all around Santa Carla without a single accident. There have been close calls, sure, but they’re quite proud of how good they’ve gotten at this. Reilly gives perfect directions, telling Nadia when to turn, where she is in traffic, and when to stop. People stare at them from their cars like they’re crazy, but they press on until they hit the parking lot of the diner. Nadia locks her bike up and she and Reilly walk in through the back, waving at Jason, the cook. Her aunt, Anne, is in the office counting money. Nadia pokes her head in.

“Hi, Anne,” she says with a big grin.

“Nadia!” Anne turns and gives her a big hug. She’s a warm, affectionate woman - almost to a fault. Nadia and Reilly get away with murder on shift, yet she insists on scheduling them together because she’s just too fucking nice. “How was your presentation today?”

“We nailed it, Anne!” Reilly calls tying her apron around her waist. Anne flashes Nadia a skeptical look. Nadia grins.

“It’s true, we totally killed it.”

“Well, that’s great. I’m going to finish counting out your tips for the week and then I’m heading out for the weekend.”

“What’s it like out there?” Nadia asks.

“Crickets,” Anne mumbles. “Don’t expect it to pick up much. If you girls need to do homework or anything, go nuts. If there’s nobody in here by 8pm, close up shop.”

“Maybe we’ll burn the place down,” Reilly jokes. Jason gives her a thumbs up from the kitchen. 

“It might attract some customers,” Anne laughs.

Nadia and Reilly change into their uniforms - black t-shirt, black pants, and bright yellow aprons. They walk out onto the floor to find the place empty. Reilly sighs.

“Shit, she wasn’t kidding.”

They busy themselves rolling cutlery until Anne leaves. Reilly walks over to the jukebox and frowns.

“These songs suck.”

“Yeah, because that thing is from 1956.”

Reilly puts on some Elvis and shrugs. It’s probably the closest thing to modern music on that ancient piece of junk. The girls keep annoying Anne to at least update the songs, but she refuses and insists that they just don’t appreciate good music. They sit in the booth near the entrance so that they can keep an eye on it and wind up balling up tiny pieces of paper and trying to flick them into the sugar bowl on the adjacent table. 

“You can’t shoot it like a basketball, you’ve gotta flick it from the front," Nadia says.

“Seriously? We made this game up, and now you’re just making up rules?”

“That’s how games work,” Nadia whispers as she sinks her tiny paper ball into the sugar bowl. She cheers and thrusts her fists into the air. “Suck it! How many points is that?”

“Fifteen,” Reilly sighs.

“Twenty.”

“No, five of those are mine.”

“Bullshit!”

“Fuck you, I --”

Nadia sees a flash of white out of the corner of her eye and whips her head around. She sees a long black coat and a pale blonde mullet swish past the window, and then he’s gone. Her hand reaches out and smacks Reilly.

“That was him!”

“What?”

Nadia scrambles out of the booth and darts toward the entrance. When she sticks her head outside, all she hears is the roar of a motorcycle engine and what she’s almost certain is David’s jacket billowing behind him. There are three other guys riding with him, but the group takes off before she can yell his name. She sighs and trudges back inside, the disappointment clearly evident on her face. Reilly gives her a small smile.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” Nadia whispers, easing herself back into her seat. “Let’s play.”

They close up around 8:00, grab their tips, and walk back to the university.

“You wanna crash at my place? I’ll give you the good pillow to sleep on,” Reilly offers.

Nadia shakes her head.

“Curfew.”

“Still?”

“Don’t even get me started,” she grumbles. “Are you still coming over to study for finals tomorrow?”

“I gueeessss,” Reilly groans. “I still don’t know why you won’t just let me cheat off of you instead.”

Nadia rolls her eyes and punches Reilly in the arm.

“Because this is the only way you’ll learn something.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow night, okay?”

“See ya.”

She watches Reilly run up the steps to her dorm and wave at her one last time before she disappears inside. Nadia sighs and climbs onto her bike. She thinks about digging her walkman out of her bag so that she can have something to listen to on the ride home, but stops herself. Santa Carla being the murder capital of the world means she has to keep her eyes peeled at all times. Her parents are still nervous about her leaving work late at night, despite her and her aunt’s reassurance that she’s fine on her own. Nadia slowly begins the trek home, her mind idly drifting to the kiss again. She can almost feel his lips against hers. Shit, what is this dude’s deal? And when can she make out with him again? Maybe Reilly was right earlier, maybe she just needs to make a mistake. 

David could be that mistake.

Ugh. She hates herself - just a little bit. 

As she turns down her street, she hears a rumble in the distance behind her. A motorcycle. Nadia squeezes her breaks and stops, her body stiff and her ears attuned to the silence. She hears nothing. After a few minutes, she starts pedaling again. Another rumble. Closer this time. She stops again. More silence.

“Okay, what the fuck?” She whispers.

She pedals faster, getting to her house in record time and tossing her bike on to the front lawn. Nadia slips inside and sneaks past her sleeping mother. It would be rude to wake her. She ditches her work clothes and changes into her sleep shirt before putting on a record and flopping face down onto her bed. She lets out a frustrated groan and rolls onto her back, letting out an enormous sigh.

“I can’t believe I’m pining over a guy with a mullet,” she mumbles, turning her head to her stuffed penguin, Oreo. She’s had him since she was four. He was the only stuffed animal she insisted on keeping. From her window, she hears a soft cooing. A pigeon. Her eyes go wide.

“He fucking didn’t…”

She grabs Oreo and slinks toward the window, drawing the curtains back. Sure enough, there is a pigeon resting on her windowsill. She leans over and checks its legs. Nothing tied to them. Disappointment pulses through her and she shakes her head, glancing down at Oreo.

“I think I’m losing my mind,” she whispers.


	3. no body, no crime

Finals come and go, and eventually, it’s July with no sign of David. Nadia goes through her day to day, her thoughts lingering on him every once in a while. She and Reilly go all out this summer. They go out dancing, sneak into bars, and Nadia kisses boys without ever learning their names. It’s better this way, no chance to get attached. She still hopes to hear that tap on the window whenever she crawls into bed at night but is only met with silence.

On the fourth of July, Nadia and Reilly are working a double, staring out the window while fireworks explode in the distance like gunshots. They split all of three tables they get and continue the game they crafted back in May, flicking paper balls into the sugar bowl. There’s a takeout bag sitting on the hostess entrance (even though they’ve never had a hostess since Nadia started working here) for some guy who ended up ordering six burgers. Nadia keeps her eye on the door as they play.

“I think you’re getting better at this,” Nadia says after Reilly sinks three in a row.

“Been practicing at home.”

“I’m sure your roommate _loves_ that.”

Reilly lives with a Bio major named Cindy. She’s nice, but a little uptight - insists on quiet time at exactly 7:00 pm so that she can focus. She refuses to go to the library to study, telling Reilly and Nadia that she paid for this dorm room and she’s entitled to quiet time when she needs it.

Actually, maybe she’s not that nice. 

“Nah, Cindy moved out. I’ve got the whole dorm to myself. All 450 square feet.” She misses and curses.

“You’re living in luxury, my friend,” Nadia laughs. “At least you don’t have Curtis and Ellen pounding on your bedroom door every four seconds.”

“Ah, your parents love you, Nadia. You’d be sad if they didn’t annoy you.”

“Says you,” Nadia grumbles.

Reilly’s parents are cool, but distant. She’s always had more privileges than Nadia. Boys were allowed to spend the night, she never had a curfew, and the only real household chore she had was doing the dishes after dinner… which she never did. Nadia, on the other hand, has to mow the lawn every Sunday and endure her father’s bedroom inspections, which she’s deemed a massive invasion of privacy. Yet, her criticisms of her dad’s parenting methods fall on deaf ears. Some days she’s almost itching to leave Santa Carla behind for good so that she doesn’t have to put up with this shit anymore. 

As Reilly sinks another paper ball, they both hear the bell on the door rattle. Nadia’s head swivels and she sees a young man with curly blonde hair and a brightly coloured jacket adorned with pins and patches. He looks around her age with stunning blue eyes and a cherubic face. An earring dangles from his left earlobe, a small black skull. He leans up against the hostess stand, drumming his fingers on the wood. 

“Damn,” Reilly whispers under her breath. “He’s kinda cute.”

“I got it.”

Nadia slips out of the booth and bounces toward him, smiling.

“Hi, there!”

“Hey!” He chirps. He’s looking at her like he knows her. She wonders if he’s one of the boys she made out with -- no, he couldn’t be. She’d remember a face like that. Although, it was dark in that bar and she and Reilly had a lot of cosmos that night. Her stomach knots and he gestures toward the bag. “I ordered the burgers.”

“Oh, great! Let me see…” she grabs the bill stapled to the plastic bag. “That’s… eight bucks.”

“Even?”

“Yep.”

He digs into his pocket and pulls out a wad of bills, handing her a twenty. 

“I’ll grab your change.”

“Keep it.”

“Seriously?”

“Mmmhmm. See you around, Nadia.”

Her eyes go wide, adrenaline shoots through her like lightning. He turns on his heel and grabs the door handle. Reilly magically appears at her side, grasping her wrist gently for support. She might be crass and uncouth, but she’s always there for Nadia in a crisis.

“What did you call me?” She asks, voice shaky.

The blonde stranger glances over his shoulder, grinning.

“Nadia. That _is_ your name, right?”

“How did you know that?”

Anne insists that the girls don’t wear name tags. Too many creeps. Their real names don’t even appear on the bill. Since she started, she’s told a total of zero customers her actual name. 

All she gets in response from the cherubic blonde is another wicked smile before he disappears out the door. She breaks free of Reilly’s grip and dashes after him, pushing the door open with her shoulder.

“Hey! Answer… me.” The last word falls flat. Nadia’s eyes scan the parking lot, but she’s met with nothing but silence and emptiness. 

“What the hell is going on?” Reilly calls from the door. “Why’d he know your name?”

“I don’t know,” Nadia mumbles as they trudge back into the building. She shudders. “I’m officially creeped out.”

“We should tell Anne.”

“Maybe,” Nadia whispers. “I don’t know what she’d do though.”

“Good point.”

“Shit,” Nadia whispers as they lean up against the hostess stand. “This is going to bug me for ages. I’ve never seen that guy before in my life.”

“Did you get a name for the order?”

Nadia shakes her head. 

“I didn’t even think about it.”

They sit around for a little while longer before they grab their tips and close up. Nadia gives Reilly a ride home on her bike before taking off toward her place. There’s no rumble of a bike engine following her tonight, only the quiet of rural Santa Carla. Crickets chirp, the air is balmy and warm. She tries to shake the sense of eeriness from earlier off of her shoulders as she slides her key into the lock, hearing the metal click as she turns it. 

“Mom? Dad?”

Nothing. Nadia sighs and walks into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. As she drinks, she notices a note stuck to the fridge.

_We went to a party. We’ll be home late late late! Dinner is in the oven._

_Love you,_

_Mom & Dad xoxo _

Nadia exhales. Her stomach growls and she yanks open the oven door.

“Oh, nice! Lasagna. Good call, mom.”

She grabs the dish and serves herself before walking into the living room and flipping on the television. Her body sinks into the couch and she sighs. At this point, she doesn’t even care what she’s watching, she just needs something to drown out the noise and anxiety rattling in her brain. She shovels lasagna into her face as fast as possible - somehow she didn’t realize just how hungry she was and devours it in a few minutes. Nadia belches, grabs a quilt from her dad’s easy chair, and wraps it around herself, curling into a small ball and lying on her side. Who the fuck was that guy tonight and how did he know her name? She knows she shouldn’t be thinking about it, but she just --

_Taptaptap!_

She sits up, turning around to face the window, and practically falls off the sofa when she sees David standing outside. Her heart begins to race and she stares at him with confusion. He beckons her with one finger, lips curling into a small smile. Against her better judgment, she tosses the quilt off of her shoulders and races to the front door. David is already there to greet her, leaning against the house with one hand. He looks so smug, so arrogant -- hot. He looks hot, too. Goddammit. She sucks in a deep breath and holds it. He’s the first to break the silence.

“Hi.”

Nadia refuses to let him see her reduce her to a puddle with one syllable. Her irritation takes hold. That’s it? That’s all he has? She cocks an eyebrow.

“You say you want to see me again, climb up my window to kiss me, and then I don’t see you for almost two months?”

“Has it been that long?”

A small half-smile lingers on his lips and his clear blue eyes sparkle with mischief. The expression on his face would be infuriating if he weren’t so.. Ah, shit. She crosses her arms over her chest and leans against the doorframe, well aware of how close she’s getting to him. He shrugs.

“I got busy.”

“You got busy,” she whispers, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Unbelievable. Maybe he has a demanding job or a demanding girlfriend. A pang of guilt hits her in the chest. Oh, shit, what if he has a girlfriend? 

“You wanna go for a ride?” He asks, flicking his Zippo lid open and closed. The sound is piercing, making her flinch. She stares at it for a moment, the sound becoming hypnotic after a few seconds. Nadia shakes her head and looks up to meet his bright blue eyes.

“David, what are you doing?”

“What do you mean?” He asks, tilting his head. A playfully curious expression washes over him.

“What -- what’s your deal?”

“My _deal_?” He says it through a shit-eating grin. “Shit, Nadia. I thought you’d be happy to see me.”

She groans. Why is he so frustrating?! She has the urge to slam the door in his face, but she also has the feeling that he wouldn’t stop annoying her if she did. There’s also the fear that she may never see him again. Nadia sits with the feeling, wondering why it’s there; why a guy she’s known for all of two seconds has this much of a hold on her. 

“I’m -- I just… I don’t get you. You didn’t ask for my phone number --”

“I know your address.”

“That’s _weird_ , David!”

“I prefer to think of it as unconventional.”

The remark catches her off guard and she finds herself laughing. He smiles and takes a step forward, the tips of his boots just barely touching the threshold of the house. Something in him looks pained. His face twitches, but he seems to be repressing something. Nadia catches herself breathing quickly, heart beating so fast it could burst a hole in her chest. David reaches up and brushes her hair away from her face.

“Come on, Nadia,” he purrs. 

She sighs.

“Where are we going?”

“You know Hudson’s Bluff overlooking the point?”

Nadia blinks in confusion. Hudson’s Bluff? There’s nothing out there. The place is pitch black at night.

“Oh, you wanna murder me now?” She bites.

Something in her is pulling her back, screaming at her to slam the door, but her curiosity is insatiable. David laughs, rich and dark. 

“Man, Reilly was right, you are _uptight_.”

Nadia swallows hard.

“Wh -- how did you hear that?”

“She’s got a voice like a foghorn.”

She almost laughs, but holds it back and tries to keep a desperate hold of her serious expression. There’s no way David doesn’t see the break in her facade. He grins and leans forward.

“Come with me.”

There’s a boyish charm to his voice that sends a warm tingle down her spine. She spent almost two months wanting this, part of her would be stupid to push him away now. She sighs, giving in to him. The truth is, she doesn’t know him well enough to justify any more reasons to be pissed off at him. Maybe he’s telling the truth and he was just busy. It’s not like they’re a thing. She looks down at her feet and wiggles her toes in her mismatched socks. David doesn’t take his eyes off of her.

“Okay. Let me get my coat.”

He nods and backs up to lean against the porch railing, lighting a cigarette. Nadia leaves the door open as she slips into her beaten jean jacket and sneakers. A quick glance in the mirror to make sure there aren’t any lasagna remnants on her face, and they’re off. David walks ahead of her toward the motorcycle and reaches out his hand to help her climb on. Nadia accepts, feeling a slight spark as she touches him. She flushes and climbs on, almost sighing at the way her arms seem to fit perfectly around his waist. David revs the engine and they take off. 

The ride is smoother than last time. She wonders if he can feel her heart beating in her chest every time he speeds up to turn a corner. Still, it’s kind of nice. She likes the way the summer air feels on her face and doesn’t bother with hiding herself behind his shoulders. They sail through the boardwalk and down a small flight of stairs toward the beach. The jump makes her yelp. David laughs and speeds up, taking them underneath the pier and through trees and rough terrain. They speed past large bonfires and groups of teenagers drinking and dancing to the music pouring from their portable stereos. Soon, the beach becomes quiet, darker, as he drives toward Hudson’s Bluff. A strange sense of dread begins to crawl through her, resting at the base of her throat. Nadia swallows it and tries to focus on her breathing. David stops in front of a massive cliff overlooking the water. Nadia peers over the edge. Waves crash against the rock, curling upward as though trying to hold on before the current sucks them backward. The rhythm is beautiful, soothing even. 

“Why’d you bring me out here?” She asks. He glances back at her and grins as a firework pops in the distance, bright and beautiful, illuminating the darkness.

“That.”

He climbs off of his bike and pushes the kickstand down before shrugging off his large black coat and smoothing it out on the sand. He’s much smaller than she imagined, but he still looks strong. His arms are pale but well-defined in the moonlight. A black t-shirt clings to his frame, expertly tucked into his leather pants. The man just keeps getting hotter. How is this possible? She gulps. David pulls two joints and a small bottle of whiskey out of his pocket, smiling at her before sitting down on his coat. He pats the empty space beside him. Nadia twirls her hair between her fingers.

“I don’t bite, Nadia.”

“Is that you stretching the truth again?”

He laughs, but something dangerous flickers in his eyes that makes her heart flutter. Slowly, she eases herself down next to him, leaving a little bit of space between their bodies. David sparks the joint and hands it to her. She takes a puff as another firework goes off and coughs.

“You good?” He asks.

She nods. Her lungs recover quickly, but she finds herself at a loss of what to say, or how to spark up a conversation. She has so many questions to ask him but can’t break through the nervous energy enough to actually say them out loud. David doesn’t seem too bothered by it, though. He’s content to sit in silence as they watch the fireworks and pass the joint back and forth. Eventually, it’s replaced by whiskey and Nadia feels herself finally beginning to calm down. She takes a deep breath, relaxing, closing the space between them without realizing it until her knee touches David’s. It’s the lightest touch, but it immediately makes her flush. Her breath catches in her chest and she peers up at him. He’s so stoic and statuesque and… beautiful. He catches her staring at him and glances down.

“What?”

“N-- Nothing,” she mumbles.

“Where do you go to school?” He asks after a few minutes of awkward silence -- well, awkward on her end.

“Uh, UC Santa Carla. I’m a law major.”

He cocks an eyebrow.

“You wanna be a lawyer?”

“Eventually… My dad’s a lawyer. I figured I’d follow in his footsteps.” She chews at a hangnail on her thumb. “What about you? Do you go to school?”

He shakes his head.

“What do you do?” She asks.

“You’re lookin’ at it.”

Hooo boy. Unemployed and rides a motorcycle. If someone wanted to wave a red flag in her face right now she’s almost certain she would still ignore it solely based on how gorgeous he looks in the moonlight. Nadia takes a sip from the whiskey bottle, twisting the cap between her fingers.

“How do you, like, pay rent and stuff?”

“I don’t really wanna talk about me,” he sighs.

“What do you wanna talk about?”

David’s stare could burn a hole clean through her body if he wanted it to. It’s the kind of gaze that makes time slow down, that makes the world stop spinning around them. Her heart flutters and her stomach knots. He leans in close, placing a gloved hand on her knee. Nadia can feel sweat beginning to bead on her forehead, and not just because of the balmy July weather.

“I don’t wanna talk,” he breathes.

She raises her eyebrows in surprise.

“O -- okay --”

She blinks and he’s kissing her. _Really_ kissing her. Nadia feels her brain short circuit and her eyes roll back as she struggles to comprehend the feeling of his mouth against hers. It’s intense, _way_ more intense than the kiss they shared at her window. It’s demanding, conquering. It makes her feel wanted. She moans softly, arms flying upward to wrap around the back of his neck. David growls as he grabs her waist tightly to pull her on top of him so that she’s sitting in his lap. He’s sturdy and strong, holding her in place - almost cradling her. It would almost be romantic if his mouth wasn’t moving so urgently against hers. One hand combs through her hair, drawing a faint line down her spine before pressing her close to him so that their bodies are flush. She can’t feel his heartbeat and he feels cold beneath his tight black t-shirt. Her brain doesn’t have enough time to process that information before she gasps and opens her mouth for him. The action forces a growl to spring from his throat and he wastes no time flicking and massaging his tongue against hers. Teasing her, trying to send her into a frenzy. It’s working. 

She’s never been kissed like this before. The man has an actual technique. She almost feels ill-equipped to be doing this, but wouldn’t dare pull away now. His mouth feels so good against hers. Hot and demanding. Nadia allows him to take full control, and he seems to enjoy it. He tugs on her bottom lip with his teeth, forcing a loud moan to spring from the depths of her throat. Briefly, he breaks the kiss to smile. 

“That’s what I wanna hear, sugar,” he growls.

Her body is aflame, it feels like she’s sitting on the surface of the sun. There isn’t a single thought in her head except _more_. Her mouth attacks his once more. She tugs at his hair and he snarls. His hands return to her waist as their mouths move together at a feverish pace. She longs to feel his hands snake up beneath her shirt, to feel skin on skin - or leather on skin. 

“David,” she sighs.

The sound that leaves his body is positively sinful. A dark, carnal growl that causes heat to rise in her belly. She grinds her hips down against his growing hardness. Yet, his hands don’t move from their position on her waist. The most primal part of her wants to push him backward, unbuckle his belt, and take him right there, yet she’s left squirming with desperation. David laughs, as though he can read her thoughts and breaks the kiss. Instinctively, she dives for his mouth again, but a gloved hand catches her and grasps her chin gently.

“Pretty,” he murmurs.

At first, her brain doesn’t register it as an english word. She blinks, panting, with swollen lips and blood roaring so loud that it’s the only thing she can focus on. His eyes are hazy, yet possessive. Stormclouds gather behind them and she releases a shuddering breath.

“Huh?”

“You’re pretty.”

“Th -- thank you.”

David’s face breaks into a wide grin.

“I should take you home,” he whispers.

Her body screams a silent no. She wants more of his lips on hers. David shifts and she climbs off of his lap. She helps him shake the sand out of his jacket. He looks so cool slipping his arms back into it and shrugging it over his shoulders. He flicks his head toward the bike.

“C’mon.”

They ride in silence. He takes a shortcut and stops at the top of her driveway. Her parents still aren’t home and she’s greeted by a warm rush of relief. She dismounts and smiles at him. His expression is unreadable.

“What are you doing tomorrow night?”

“Nothing. I don’t work until Saturday.”

“I wanna take you out again.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll pick you up at 10:00.”

Nadia sighs.

“That’s my curfew.”

“Sneak out,” David challenges.

“David.”

“Okay, 9:00.”

She huffs.

“Fine.”

He doesn’t kiss her. Instead, he revs up his bike and speeds off. Nadia’s body practically collapses from running on adrenaline all night. She wants to scream. She’s gotta tell someone. Anyone. Without thinking, she runs into the house, tears her jacket off, and tosses it haphazardly on the floor before kicking her shoes into the living room. Nadia runs upstairs and almost rips her bedroom door off of its hinges to get to the phone. With shaking fingers, she dials Reilly’s number. It rings for too long before her best friend finally answers.

“Hello?”

“Reilly I have to tell you what happened tonight!”

“Can it wait?” Reilly whines. “Mick is here.”

“David and I made out.”

“I know that. He did the Romeo thing --”

“No! I mean, he picked me up tonight, drove me to Hudson’s Bluff, and we _made out_ , dude!”

“What?” She hears Reilly cover the mouthpiece of the phone with her hand. She banishes Mick to the bathroom so that they can talk privately. There’s a commotion on the other end of the line and Nadia sighs, twirling the phone cord between her fingers. Reilly’s voice returns clear as day. “Okay. He’s gone. Tell me everything.”


	4. Lovefool

Both of Nadia’s parents are working late. Perfect. She immediately invites Reilly over so that they can get ready together. Nadia stands in front of her full length mirror, helpless, and adjusts her royal blue sweater and black jeans. She should change. This is too casual. She looks like her mom. But she doesn’t want to give too much away just yet. Her fingers pull the fabric down so that it rests just past her shoulders and exposes her collarbones. That looks a little better. Reilly sits on her bed swiping a tube of blindingly hot pink lipstick over her mouth. 

“You look like you teach Jazzercise on the weekends,” Reilly mumbles.

Nadia rolls her eyes while she fixes her ponytail. She glances over her shoulder. 

“You look like Malibu Barbie.”

Reilly grimaces and checks herself out in her compact mirror. 

“Is the lipstick too much?”

“No,” Nadia laughs. “I was just making an observation. Maybe Mick is into Malibu Barbie.”

Reilly sighs and presses her lips together before looking back at Nadia.

“Ugh, I hate you! Now you have me overthinking it!”

Nadia laughs and decides to stop fiddling with her hair, clothes, and… well, everything, or she’ll end up changing again for the fifth time tonight. 

“You look amazing, just stick with what you’ve got.” 

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

Reilly is dressed in a black and white striped boatneck shirt and black pants. Her hair is perfectly teased. She looks amazing. Reilly stares at her while stashing the lipstick tube in her purse.

“Okay, I trust you.”

Nadia sits down on the bed and sighs, drumming nervously on her thighs. Her stomach has been in knots all night thinking about that kiss at Hudson’s Bluff. She has no idea what David has planned for the night, but she wouldn’t be opposed to spending a few hours sitting in his lap. She flushes and takes a deep breath, glancing at the clock. 8:55. 

“We should wait downstairs,” Reilly interrupts. “Your loverboy is gonna be here soon.”

“Okay,” Nadia agrees. “But first help me stuff these pillows in my bed so that it looks like I’m sleeping when my parents get here.”

“Who are you, Ferris Bueller?”

“I don’t wanna get busted, Reilly!”

Reilly sighs and rolls her eyes.

“Fine. I just want to go on record and say that your curfew is bullshit.”

“Believe me, I’ve told them,” Nadia grumbles as they stuff pillows beneath her duvet that roughly resemble the shape of a sleeping human being. A knock at the front door downstairs startles both of them and they race down to answer it. Nadia takes a deep breath and wrings her hands nervously before opening it. When she opens the door, David is standing in front of her, gorgeous as ever, with a small grin on his face. 

“Hiya, doll.”

She’s putty in his hands. Before she can say anything, Reilly pokes her head out from behind her and waves. David doesn’t even flinch.

“Hi, David!”

“Hi, Reilly,” he purrs. His eyes flick back to Nadia.

“You ready?”

“Just let me put my shoes on.” 

“Sure.”

He lingers near the porch steps while Nadia walks to the closet, Reilly at her heels.

“Call me once you get home?” She asks.

“I will,” Nadia promises. “Where are you and Mick going?”

“Dancing. He knows a bar just off the boardwalk that doesn’t ID. He’s picking me up in half an hour.”

“Nice,” Nadia whispers, slipping her feet into her boots. “You got my spare key?”

Reilly nods. Her mom keeps three stashed around the house, partially for Reilly, and partially because Nadia consistently misplaces her keys.

“And if my parents somehow magically come home?” 

“I run out the back door.”

Nadia grins and they high five.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she says.

“Uhhhh, be incredibly boring,” Reilly teases before ruffling her hair and flicking her head toward the door. “Go get that motorcycle man.”

Nadia bounds out the door, body fluttering with nervous energy. David’s eyes sparkle and he starts toward his bike. She half expects him to hold his arm out for her, but it doesn’t happen. 

“Where are we going?”

“I thought we’d grab a drink,” he says as he climbs onto his bike. “Pick up where we left off at Hudson’s Bluff.”

Her heart pounds and she can feel herself turning red.

“That sounds good,” she squeaks.

David grins, eyes raking over her form.

“You look beautiful,” he murmurs before reaching out to help her onto the bike.

She flushes.

“Thanks.”

They take off. David drives so fast that Nadia doesn’t even have time to take in the sights and sounds of Santa Carla - not that there are many. He stops in front of a small bar on the boardwalk and helps her off of the bike. She looks around nervously. There’s an actual bouncer, they were never at any of the bars that she and Reilly snuck into.

“I’m not old enough to go in here,” she mumbles.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty,” she mumbles.

He laughs.

“Don’t worry about it.” He takes her hand and drags her toward the entrance. The bouncer doesn’t even acknowledge them, just waves them inside. Nadia gawks for a second before David pulls her away from the door. She laughs and sidles up next to him, hooking her arm in his without fully realizing what she’s doing. She feels comfortable with him. Safe. David doesn’t seem to mind. He smirks at her.

“How did you do that?” She asks.

“I know people,” he murmurs. 

It’s not really a bar so much as one of those old English style pubs. The entire place is filled with smoke. It actually stings her eyes, but she gets used to it quickly. David takes her to the back of the bar toward a table filled with three other guys. They’re smoking, drinking, and playing some kind of card game. Nadia guesses it’s poker judging by the very serious looks on their faces and the massive pot of money in the middle. Her heart skips a beat when she recognizes one of them - the guy who picked up the burgers. She almost laughs. It all makes sense now. David and Nadia stop in front of the table and the cherubic curly-headed blonde looks up at her with an enormous grin. David gestures to them.

“Nadia? This is Paul, Dwayne, and I think you’ve met Marko.”

All three boys wave at her. They’re all gorgeous. Paul is a wild-haired, blue-eyed blonde with a piercing gaze. Dwayne is a dark and brooding brunette. Marko peers up at her through his big, beautiful blue eyes and shoots her a charming wink. She chuckles. 

“I _have_ met Marko.”

“Sorry about the other night,” Marko says, extending a hand. She grasps it and shakes it gently. “David wanted to keep it a surprise.”

Nadia turns to David.

“How’d you know where I worked?”

“Saw you going in before your shift. Marko gave you my name… didn’t you, Marko?”

Marko nods and winks at her again, smiling. Nadia bites back a big grin.

“I did. You must not have written it down.”

Nadia gives a helpless shrug.

“I guess I forgot.” She turns to David. “Sorry.”

“No problem,” he murmurs, resting his hand on her lower back. Butterflies form in her stomach.

“You wanna play next round?” Paul asks him. 

“Nah. I’m good. I’ll see you boys later.” He grabs Nadia’s hand and leans in, brushing her earlobe with his lips. “There’s a free booth over there. Grab it and I’ll get us a drink. Any preference?”

“Vodka tonic?”

“You got it.”

She slips into a booth on the far side of the bar, away from David’s friends. He returns with a vodka soda for her and a whiskey for himself and slides into the seat next to her. David’s arm snakes around her shoulder and she instantly feels nauseous - not in a bad way, just a “holy shit is this really happening?” kind of way. She busies herself with her drink, taking a large sip before she glances upward at him.

“Do you guys come here a lot?”

“Yeah,” he says as he lights a cigarette. “Mostly to play poker. Paul and Marko like to win money off of the drunk guys playing pool and darts.”

She chuckles.

“So that’s how you pay your rent.”

“I don’t give away my secrets,” he says with a wink.

Nadia looks around.

“I’ve never even heard of this place.”

“Probably because there’s no dancing here,” he teases.

“You don’t like dancing?” Nadia asks with a giggle.

David shakes his head.

“Not really my thing.”

“I like it,” she says softly.

“Yeah? How come?”

“I don’t know…” she takes a sip of her drink. “It’s a good way to let loose, it’s fun, and you can get to know people without speaking.”

“There are other ways to do that, you know,” he says, leaning into her, his breath hot in her ear.

“You’re gonna have to wait a couple more dates,” she whispers before covering her mouth and flushing. She didn’t mean to say that, it just… came out. Nadia stumbles and stutters, but is met with David’s soft, rumbling laughter as his lips ghost up and down her neck. Her clothes suddenly feel tight and she begins to sweat.

“So you’re saying we’ve preemptively secured a third and fourth date?” He asks.

“If you play your cards right.”

There’s no way he doesn’t hear the tremor in her voice. He rests his hand just above her knee and pulls back to look at her. Nadia swallows hard, unable to stop herself from gazing into his piercing eyes.

“I thought I was doing a pretty good job so far,” he purrs.

“Except for that two-month absence,” she teases.

“Like I said, Nadia…”

“Busy, I know.” She laughs this time. 

“Not anymore, though,” he whispers. 

They lean into each other and she lets him capture her lips. The kiss is soft at first, and if she were standing, her legs would have given out. David knows exactly what he’s doing, teasing her mouth with the tip of his tongue until she groans and opens it for him. He instantly increases the intensity and she’s met with a soft growl as his hands dive for her hair, pulling out her ponytail. Nadia squeaks in protest and David pulls away, twirling her hair tie between his fingers.

“I like it down,” he murmurs.

“You do?”

“Mmhmm. Because I can do _this_.”

He grasps a handful of hair on the back of her head and pulls her toward him. Their lips crash and Nadia lets out a soft moan as she melts into him, hands drifting up the coarse wool of his jacket before gripping the lapels. For a second she considers bumping up their conjugal meeting to tonight instead of two dates from now, but manages to get a hold on her impulses. They kiss for a little while longer before he pulls back again and tosses his whiskey back.

“Let’s go.”

“Go where?”

“Hudson’s Bluff.”

“We can make out here,” Nadia practically whimpers as she reaches up to caress his face.

“I wanna go someplace private,” David purrs.

She raises an eyebrow.

“I told you, we’re not doing that for another couple of dates.”

“Relax,” he chuckles. “I just want to show you something.”

Nadia looks down at his crotch, eyes wide. David throws his head back as a loud cackle echoes through the bar.

“You’re funny.”

“Thank you.”

Nadia finishes her drink - not that there was much left in the glass - and they duck out of the bar. The ride to Hudson’s Bluff is quiet. David takes his time until they hit the beach. He drives toward the bluff at breakneck speed. Nadia screams behind him, burying her face in his jacket. So much for a peaceful, romantic drive. Suddenly, the bike screeches to a halt, the front wheel dangling precariously off of the cliff. Nadia opens her eyes and screams before scrambling off of the bike and getting as far away from the edge as possible. David laughs.

“Not a fan of heights?”

“Are you _fucking_ crazy?!” She screeches. Her hands are balled into tiny fists. “You could have killed us!”

“Nadia, you're too uptight. You need to live a little.”

“I live plenty! Besides, flying off of a cliff attached to a motorcycle isn’t exactly how I pictured the rest of this night going!”

David closes the gap between them, smiling. He brushes her hair away from her face and leans in, his lips hovering just above hers. 

“How did you picture the rest of this night going?”

“Less panic.”

His arm slips underneath her jacket to grasp her waist and pull her closer. David seems to savor the soft gasp that escapes her throat. Her heart begins to hammer for a completely different reason. She gulps.

“You seem fine now,” he breathes.

“What you’re seeing is a different kind of panic.”

David pulls away and Nadia can’t stop herself from slumping with disappointment. He chuckles and flicks his head toward a large rock formation to her right.

“Come on, I wanna show you something.”

She lets him take her hand to lead her away from the cliff. They descend down a set of long, rickety wooden stairs that feel like they could give out beneath her feet at any second. The waves spill against them, soaking her feet, and adding to their instability. Nadia grips the decrepit railing for dear life while David hops down each step with ease, like a dancer. She does her best to keep up but ends up fumbling through the darkness. She can see a dim light coming from the inside of what looks like… a cave? She can’t quite see. As she blindly reaches the bottom of the steps, her foot slips on a slick board and she almost falls flat on her face. David turns around and catches her at the last second, looking down at her with an enormous grin.

“Careful, doll,” he chuckles as she steadies herself on her feet. The sand is soft and she can feel herself sinking into it.

“I’m good.”

“This way,” he says softly.

Nadia hesitates for a moment, unsure if she trusts him just yet. He did almost get her killed - twice if she counts the stairs. 

“It’s okay,” he encourages. “Come on.”

She takes a deep breath. This is stupid. She’s an idiot. Watching the fireworks on the cliff was one thing, but this cave looks like a death trap. All she wanted to do was make out with a cute boy and now she’s going on a fucking spelunking expedition?! Maybe her mom was right not to trust boys with motorcycles.

Wordlessly, David takes her hand and leads her inside. It’s almost pitch black at first until they reach the bottom. It looks like a hotel lobby. Broken pieces of furniture, posters, and broken records litter the floor. The place is illuminated by a couple of oil drums. Moonlight shines down from the cracks in the rock and candles litter the ground and surround an old, crumbling fountain that looks like it hasn’t been used in centuries. The entire place smells musty and ancient, nothing like soil or rock. It smells lived in, like an animal’s den. There’s something sickly sweet lingering beneath it all, but Nadia can’t pinpoint what it is. David turns and gestures for her to look around.

“Here we are.”

“This is…” she takes another deep breath and glances up to see a busted chandelier hanging from the ceiling. “Wow.”

“This was the hottest resort in Santa Carla about eighty-five years ago. Too bad they built it on the fault.”

“An earthquake sunk this place?”

“Yep. The big one back in 1906.”

Nadia wanders away from him, picking up broken lamps, busted picture frames, and ancient pieces of tile. She can still feel his eyes on her.

“This is kind of amazing,” she says wistfully. “How did you find this place?”

“It’s our home.”

She raises her eyebrows in disbelief.

“Home?”

“It’s a long story,” David replies. He plunks himself down in a large black wheelchair and pulls two cigarettes out of his jacket pocket. Nadia accepts and lights hers using a nearby candle.

“I’ve got time for a long story.”

He takes a long pull on his cigarette and studies her, sizing her up like a predator. Nadia’s heart begins to pound. Again. She really wishes it would stop doing that. David clears his throat and sinks deeper into his chair, propping his legs up on the fountain. 

“My brothers and I live here. We have for a few years now.”

“You’re talking about the guys I met at the bar? Those are your brothers?”

He nods.

“Where are your parents?” Nadia asks.

“Dead.” His voice is flat. “Car accident… I guess it wasn’t that long of a story.”

Nadia sits on the edge of the fountain near him.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m not.”

He flicks his cigarette into the fountain in a perfect arc before standing and strolling toward a bright red filing cabinet behind his wheelchair. It’s covered in dust and candle wax. David yanks open one of the drawers, the creak echoing through the cave, like nails on a chalkboard. Nadia squints to see what he’s grabbing, but she’s having trouble seeing in the dim light. Her eyes can’t fully adjust. David appears to find what he’s looking for and saunters back toward her holding a dusty wine bottle that’s covered in silver and jewels. She almost laughs at its garishness but distracts herself by taking a final drag from her cigarette. 

“You want another drink?” He asks.

“Not to be rude, but that thing looks like it hasn’t been opened in a thousand years.”

He chuckles and holds it up to the moonlight to examine it.

“Well, this isn’t exactly a five-star resort anymore, but I promise this is fresh.”

Nadia eyes him with suspicion and nervously glances around the cave.

“You go first.”

He laughs.

“What?” 

“You go first! Prove to me that it’s fresh.”

David smirks and pulls the cork out with a soft pop. He brings the bottle up to his nose and sniffs at it, eyes rolling back. Weird, but maybe he just really likes wine? He takes a sip, eyes closed and his expression becomes one of sheer bliss. He takes a moment to savor the experience before regaining his self-control and walking over to her. Slowly, he rests the bottle on the edge of the fountain.

“Your turn.”

Nadia takes it with shaking hands and sniffs at it. It smells like wine. 

“Here goes nothing,” she murmurs as she takes a big swig.

It’s sour and metallic on her tongue. She suspects it might be slightly off, but gulps it down with a grimace before handing it back to David. After a few seconds, she feels an intense heat beginning to flood her body. Before she can even begin to consider this new sensation, David closes the space between them and reaches out for her hand. She stands, dizzy and unsure. The wine, or whatever the hell it was, is hitting her much faster than she expected. Her tolerance is usually better than this. Her limbs tingle and the room suddenly seems brighter and more colorful. She doesn’t feel sleepy, just overwhelmed, like she’s seeing things for the first time. David wraps his arms around her waist. She relaxes into his touch and looks up into his beautiful crystal blue eyes.

“Good girl,” he purrs.

His kiss is hungry and desperate. Nadia matches his fervor and they both attempt to devour one another. She's never felt like this before. Powerful, strong, like she could do anything. Her fingers reach up and sink into the back of his neck, trying to pull him as close to her as possible. He bites down gently on her bottom lip and tugs. A soft snarl escapes her throat. 

“Jesus Christ,” she whimpers. He tastes even better than he did before - like sweetness, cigarettes, metal, and whiskey. She can’t get enough. 

In one swift motion, he picks her up and carries her toward a room at the back of the cave. She can’t tear her lips away from him, nor does she want to. Nadia wraps her legs around his waist and pushes his jacket off of his shoulders. His smoky laugh sends a warm tingle down her spine. David closes the bedroom door with his foot and throws her onto the bed. As Nadia hits the mattress, she feels it collapse and open up beneath the weight of her body. She’s falling through it but doesn’t try to fight the sensation. It’s oddly calming. David and his mischievous grin disappear in a whirlwind of confusion and blackness. 

When she comes to, she finds Reilly standing just inches from her face.

“It’s 4:00pm, you fucking idiot. GET UP!”

Nadia’s body jerks violently and she tumbles off of the bed. 

“WHATTHEFUCK?!”

Reilly looks her up and down with a somewhat disgusted look on her face.

“You look like shit.”

“Where’s David?!” Nadia snaps, glancing around nervously. “Why am I at your place?!”

“Relax, Nadia,” Reilly mumbles as she slumps onto the bed. “He dropped you off last night. You were pretty drunk. You owe me for half a pizza."

She blinks in confusion.

"What?"

"You ate half of my pizza. It was like you'd never tasted food before in your life."

"I was awake?"

"Fully. You were talking _ridiculous_ shit, though. I almost called your parents."

"Like what? What was I saying?"

"You kept saying you felt like a god. You felt like you could fly. Your eyes went this weird color -- did you do acid last night or something?"

"No," Nadia whispers. "I didn't even smoke pot."

She runs her hands through her hair and blinks furiously. Her head rattles like there’s a jackhammer tearing around inside of her skull. It’s too bright in here. She stomps over to the curtains and yanks them closed.

“What the fuck happened to me last night?”

“What do you mean?”

“One second I’m making out with him and the next I’m waking up here.” She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. “Did he say anything when he dropped me off?”

“Just that you had a little _too_ much fun, and judging by the way you were talking last night, I'm inclined to agree."

Nadia’s brain runs through the previous night. She remembers the bar, his mouth, the ride, the cliff, the wine… 

The wine. Everything went south after that. Reilly stares at her, puzzled. 

“What’s going on, Nadia?”

“He took me to this abandoned hotel near Hudson’s Bluff. We had some wine… we started to make out, and then I woke up here. I don't remember eating your pizza or talking about being a god or any of that shit."

Reilly stands and grabs her cigarettes off of the top of her dresser. She tosses one to Nadia.

“I’m going to the boardwalk tonight after work, you wanna come with me?”

“Excuse me!” Nadia shouts, flinging her unlit cigarette onto the floor. “I’m having a serious fucking crisis over here!”

Reilly holds her hands up in apology. She can be so fucking selfish sometimes.

“Do you think he did something to that wine?” She asks. 

Nadia shakes her head.

“He drank it too, and he was acting perfectly normal. Did he seem normal when he dropped me off?”

“Yeah. He actually waited outside to make sure you got to bed okay."

Nadia’s stomach does a backflip. The sensation immediately grosses her out and is quickly replaced with anger. Reilly blows a smoke ring.

“Okay. Here’s the plan. We go to work and then we hit the boardwalk and try to find David.”

“What if he doesn’t show up?” Nadia asks. “I’ve seen him exactly three times since May. He’s, like, the definition of elusive.”

“Then we get drunk and call it a day.”

Nadia groans and covers her face with her hands.

“I need the biggest pair of sunglasses that you can find,” she mumbles.


	5. I Was a Teenage Werewolf

Nadia takes more breaks than usual at work, pawning her tables off on Reilly whenever she can. Her head is throbbing and if she hears one more plate clank, she’s going to kill someone. She can hear the heartbeats of her customers, she can smell them. She can sense their joy, their fear, their vulnerability. 

Something’s wrong.

The idea of having to look at a greasy hamburger on a plate makes her stomach churn. Once the sun goes down she begins to feel a lot better, more energetic, and her headache has almost completely gone away. She sits on an old milk crate outside of the back of the restaurant twirling Reilly’s sunglasses in her hand. Her mouth tastes foul, like sucking on a penny that’s been sitting in a puddle of stale rainwater for a month. Nadia spits and grimaces.

“Fuck, that’s disgusting.”

“Evening, gorgeous,” David’s voice hisses from the shadows.

She leaps off of the milk crate, her legs shaking beneath her. Nadia balls her hands into fists and snarls.

“You.”

David steps into the light. 

“Me.” 

Nadia growls and lunges at him, unable to control the anger swelling in her body, propelling her muscles forward.

“What did you give me to drink last night?!”

He chuckles.

“Hey!” Nadia shouts, shoving him backward. He grins through it all. It makes her furious. “This isn’t fucking funny! I could barely look out Reilly’s window without wanting to rip my fucking eyes out. Everything is too bright, everyone is too loud. It’s like I have a hangover, but… I can hear people’s bodies, their heartbeats. I’m going fucking insane, David! What did you do to me?”

David brushes the hair out of her face and drags his thumb across her bottom lip and everything stops around them. She can hear her own heart hiding against her chest like a chaotic drumbeat. Her blood roars and David’s eyes flick to the base of her neck. 

“You’re one of us now, Nadia.”

“What did you do to me?” She asks again, her voice a soft hiss.

“You fell asleep and I took you home.” His expression shifts to one of total sincerity. She can feel it in her bones that he’s telling the truth. “Sometimes it does that to people.”

“What does what to people?”

David leans in, lips hovering just above hers. She feels a spark between them and her breath shudders. He grasps both sides of her face tenderly and kisses her - one of those soft, romantic Hollywood kisses she’s envied having since she was a little girl. She can’t help but kiss back, slightly furious that he’s able to do this to her. His mouth still feels so good, so familiar against her own. Nadia moans and lets her hands slip beneath his coat to grasp his waist and pull her so that he’s flush with her. David snarls, running a gloved hand through her hair. Kissing him gives her a rush she just can’t get anywhere else. When he pulls away, his eyes flash amber. She gasps. 

“Some things need to be shown to you,” he breathes.

His face contorts and twists into something monstrous and angry. Demonic. He’s still grinning. Nadia’s breath quickens. She feels dizzy and begins to sweat. Her body tries to wriggle free from his grasp, but he’s too strong. Her mind can’t comprehend what she’s seeing in his eyes until Reilly’s voice cuts into the tension between them.

“Nadia! You okay?”

She glances over at her best friend, panicked. When she looks back, David looks completely normal.

“What are you?” She asks.

“I’ll show you.” He grabs her hands. “Meet me at the boardwalk after your shift.”

His gaze is intense. All she really wants to do is go home and sit in her bedroom with the lights off while her anxiety spins out of control like the wheels on a car. Instead, she feels herself nodding. David kisses her again.

“I’ll explain everything.”

“You’d better.”

“Nadia?” Reilly calls.

“I’m good! David, I --”

She turns and David is gone. Nadia sighs and rubs her eyes.

“You sure?” Reilly asks.

“Yeah. I’m coming back inside. Sorry,” she says as she approaches the door. Reilly shrugs and laughs.

“Forget about it. You’d do the same for me if I was fucked up.”

“That’s true,” Nadia sighs. 

“Why was David here? Did you yell at him?”

“No. I’m meeting him tonight.” She looks over her shoulder with the hope that maybe he’s still lingering in the shadows. “How much time do we have left?”

“An hour.”

“Perfect.”

The place is empty when they walk back inside. Jason is lounging in Anne’s office smoking and reading a book. He glances up at them and flashes Nadia a concerned look.

“You okay, Nadia?”

“Yeah, I’m just not feeling well.”

She doesn’t want to give him too much information. He’s not close with Anne, but they do talk and he’s her oldest employee. Nadia can’t risk any information about David or her behavior getting back to her parents. No doubt, her mother would want to keep her at home to monitor her bizarre symptoms. 

“There’s a flu going around,” Jason offers. “My mom’s been sick for a few days now.”

She points at him and clicks her tongue.

“That’s gotta be it.”

Reilly smirks and pulls her back out onto the floor. They slump into a booth and Nadia smokes while Reilly counts her tips. Her eyes go wide when she sees just how massive the stack of bills is. She’s had a total of two tables tonight and made about fifteen bucks. Reilly’s at least got fifty or sixty by Nadia’s rough count. 

“Jesus, you cleaned up tonight.”

“Yeah,” Reilly laughs. “There was this big table of guys in. I undid one of the buttons on my shirt and leaned over a lot.” She grabs the cigarette out of Nadia’s mouth and takes a drag. “I’ll give you a cut if you give me a fresh smoke.”

“Deal,” Nadia says as she digs into her apron and tosses Reilly her pack of cigarettes. 

They smoke and goof around until closing time. Jason helps them clean up and set up tables for the weekend breakfast rush before he takes off for the night. As the girls grab their bags. Reilly turns to Nadia.

“Are we still doing the boardwalk?”

“Yeah,” she replies nervously.

“You don’t look so sure about that,” Reilly presses.

“I am. Sort of. He said he’d explain everything.”

“Well, that’s good at least.”

“I guess.”

Reilly rides Nadia’s bike for fear that Nadia will send them careening into a tree or something. She sits on the handlebars and holds on for dear life. Her balance sucks tonight, but thankfully, the ride isn’t long. The fresh air feels nice on her skin, makes her feel less nauseous.

They prowl the boardwalk. Nadia still insists on wearing her aviators, telling Reilly that the lights are making her hangover come back. People swim past them carrying giant stuffed animals and sloshing beer onto the boardwalk. She can hear every single heartbeat. She smokes nervously, vibrating and electric against the railing that they’re supposed to be casually leaning on - Reilly’s words. Her eyes continuously scan the crowd for any sign of a white blonde mullet or a long black coat. All she sees are families with kids and teenagers making out in lineups. 

Something doesn’t feel right in her guts… or maybe it  _ is _ her guts. She hasn’t eaten all day. The thought of food makes her want to puke. She still tastes copper in her mouth, hence the smoking. Briefly, she considers grabbing a shot of vodka from the beer garden to get rid of the taste.

Reilly picks at a giant bag of cotton candy that she bought from a vendor because he was cute. 

“You know, I don’t even like this stuff. It’s so unsatisfying. It’s like someone burped sugar in your face but you have to eat it.”

“If you hate it so much, why are you eating it?”

Reilly shrugs.

“Donut machine was broken.”

“The donut machine?”

“Yeah,” Reilly licks crystallized bits of sugar from her fingertips. “The thing they dunk the donuts in.”

“It’s a deep fryer. Christ, Reilly, we have one at work.”

“Whatever. It was busted -- do you want this?”

“I’d rather throw up. Just leave it on the ground, some kid will pick it up.”

“But I paid for it.”

“Then eat it, Reilly! I don’t know what to tell you!” 

Reilly’s eyes narrow and she picks angrily at her Mount Everest of cotton candy while Nadia smokes silently. She keeps thinking she sees David, but the hair is never right. Nadia sighs and takes off her sunglasses, blinking as her eyes adjust to the obnoxiously bright lights. 

“What if he doesn’t show up?”

“We get drunk.”

“Is that all you think about?”

“What else is there to do in this town?”

She’s got a point. Nadia sighs nervously. She can feel Reilly’s gaze land on her and turns to find her best friend staring at her with a sympathetic, almost tearful expression.

“It’s gonna be okay, Nadia. We’ll fix this.”

Nadia stares back and gives a weak half smile.

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“False. I complimented your ass last week in those exact jeans you’re wearing now.”

“Okay, the second nicest thing you’ve said to me,” Nadia laughs. 

Reilly gasps and whacks Nadia’s shoulder violently. 

“Ow!” Nadia hisses. “What the fuck?!”

“I see him!”

“Well, don’t make it obvious!”

Reilly rolls her eyes.

“Will you stop pretending to be cool? He’s already made out with you. He can see you be something other than your pathetic version of aloof.”

“I’m not pathetic!”

Nadia looks over her shoulder to see David strolling through the crowd. People move out of his way immediately and he locks eyes with her. Her heart pounds and her stomach knots so tightly that she feels like she might spew over the side of the boardwalk. He moves closer and out of the corner of her eye, she sees Reilly toss her bag of cotton candy into a dumpster. Every muscle in Nadia’s body is clenched and coiled, screaming at her to push herself off of the railing and run toward him, but she can’t do it. It’s like his eyes are holding her body completely still, forcing her to wait for his approach and endure his burning gaze. As his presence looms closer, she takes a deep breath and runs a hand through her hair. He grins and stops in front of her, acknowledging Reilly first, who eyes him with well-deserved suspicion.

“Hi, Reilly.”

“Evening, David. Will you be taking my best friend out on a normal date tonight? No funny stuff?”

“If she’ll let me,” David purrs.

Nadia flushes. The pull toward him is undeniable. Reilly flashes him her fake waitress smile that she does when she wants to toss a glass of water in a customer’s face. 

“Do you mind if I talk to her for a second?”

“Not at all,” David laughs.

Reilly drags Nadia a few feet away and leans in.

“I think you should go with him.”

“Yeah? I’m nervous.”

She bites her lip and Reilly nods.

“Look, he’s a little weird, kind of aloof -- which I totally get makes him seem super hot… but he really seemed to be concerned about you when he dropped you off last night.”

“How do you know?”

“Nadia, I’ve slept with enough assholes to know when a guy actually gives a shit. He might never tell you this, but he was worried. You should have seen the look on his face. He had these huge puppy dog eyes.”

Nadia rolls her eyes.

“No, he didn’t.”

“Would I lie to you?”

“You lie to me all the time! You’re the reason I have trust issues!” Nadia laughs. 

Reilly glances back at David and then back to Nadia. 

“He seems to really like you, and if he does anything weird, you tell me and I’ll beat the shit out of him.”

Nadia chuckles.

“My money’s on you.”

“It should be! I’m a mean bitch! I’ll yank his earring out and stab him with it.” She tucks a strand of Nadia’s hair behind her ear. “Look, do you like him? Do you wanna talk this stuff out with him?”

Nadia nods.

“That’s part of the reason why I’m so nervous.”

“Then go and get your answers, and if they’re not what you want, dump a drink on him and call me or show up at my door, okay? I mean that. I don’t care what time it is.”

She laughs. What would she do without Reilly? This woman is a saint. She’s rude and loud, but she’s great in a crisis. Nadia sticks out her pinky.

“I swear if anything goes wrong, I promise I’ll show up at your door with a bottle of whiskey.”

“That’s my girl,” Reilly laughs, wrapping her arms around Nadia’s neck. They walk back toward David and Reilly smirks at him. “All right. Be good to her and have her home by curfew. I’m gonna go find Mick.”

“Thanks, mom,” Nadia mumbles.

Reilly bounds off in the other direction, checking carefully over her shoulder as the crowd begins to swallow her up. David extends his hand and bites his lip. Nadia feels her knees wobble. Her skin feels hot. She crosses her arms in front of her chest.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

“I’m gonna show you,” he purrs. “We’re going for a ride.”

“No. No more secrets, no more mysteries. Not after last night and the way I’m feeling today, David. I want to know what’s going on. Tell me where we’re going or I’m going the fuck home.”

Her body trembles as she stands her ground. The only person she can really stand up to without feeling a wave of anxiety crash over her is Reilly, and that’s only because they’ve known each other since they were kids. David looks her up and down with a blank expression.

“We’re going to the railroad tracks.”

“Why?”

“It’s the only way I can show you.”

“Show me what?”

“What you are, Nadia.”

“That sounds ominous.”

Not to mention weird. Still, there’s a compulsion to follow him that she can’t ignore. David chuckles.

“It doesn’t have to be.”

She takes a deep breath and takes his hand. He leads her toward his bike and they drive to the outskirts of town to an old set of railroad tracks that are barely in service anymore, save for the odd freight train. The last time she was out here was her senior year of high school when Ryan Matheson decided to have a tailgate party and almost got his truck totaled by an oncoming train. She definitely doesn’t miss high school. 

When they reach the railroad tracks, she’s stuck by an eerie sense of silence. It’s never occurred to her just how far away the tracks are from town. As Nadia dismounts the bike and begins to walk behind David, she feels nervous. There are cracks in the wood and all she sees is a mass of fog below and nothing else. She has no idea how high this bridge is, or what compelled her to be psychotic enough to follow David out here. It’s like there’s some kind of invisible thread holding her to him. Her attention is so fixed on the back of his coat billowing behind him that she doesn’t see Marko, Paul, and Dwayne until David claps his hands together and laughs.

“Sorry we’re late, boys.”

The three of them have massive grins on their faces. Nadia looks around, confused. 

“Boys? Should we let Nadia in on our little secret?”

“I dunno,” Marko teases, winking at her. “How do we know she’s cool?”

“I’m vouching for her,” David says, lighting a cigarette. “Right, Nadia?”

“Sure,” she says flatly. “I’m so fucking lost.”

“It’s okay,” Paul offers. “You’ll find out in a few minutes.”

“What’s he talking about?” Nadia asks.

“Paul?” David asks pointedly. “Would you like to show our gorgeous friend here what she’s in for?”

“Sure. Nadia? I’ll see you in a minute.”

With that, he steps toward the bridge and drops off. He doesn’t even scream, he’s just swallowed by darkness and mist. Nadia gasps and covers her mouth with both hands. Her eyes flit between Dwayne and Marko before she looks at David, terrified. The three remaining boys look bemused, excited even. 

“What the fuck?!”

Dwayne drops, followed by Marko until she and David are left alone. He drops her hand and walks to the edge. She listens hard, but all she hears is silence. No splat, no thunk, nothing. It’s like they just vanished.

“You don’t have to be afraid, Nadia.”

“Don’t have to --” she cuts herself off and shakes her head, suddenly desperate to get him to back away from the edge of the bridge. “Look, David, I like you. I really like you, and I like making out with you! And maybe we could… have… something -- fuck, I sound… so lame --” She stutters. “You know what? I don’t care about last night!” She laughs maniacally, holding out a shaking hand. “It’s fine, it’s totally fine! Please,  _ please _ just back away from the edge.”

A wide smile has taken over his face. He reaches for her.

“Take my hand.”

Her mouth is agape and she stares at him, eyes bulging from their sockets.

“I’m sorry?”

“Take my hand.”

“Okay,” she laughs. “You’re insane. I came here to find out what was going on, and --”

“You will. Just take my hand.” His smile becomes warm and genuine. “I promise, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“Okay, but you know how physics works, right?”

He laughs, dark and smoky. It temporarily loosens the knot in her stomach.

“I’m well aware.”

Everything about David is off, weird somehow, but she’s just stupid enough to see it through - at least for an answer. Before she realizes what’s happening, she’s wrapped in his arms. He looks down at her, grinning smugly, like he’s just won a prize. David dips his head to kiss her, his stubble scratching her face. It feels nice and she melts into him, moaning softly. He pulls away and runs his thumb across her bottom lip.

“Have you ever wanted to fly?”

“Oh, God,” she chokes. “This is how people go missing in Santa Carla, isn’t it? You guys push them off of bridges.”

He laughs.

“Hold on to me.”

She squeezes him as tightly as she can and they begin to drop. It’s fast, yet slow. Terrifying, yet when she looks at David, she doesn’t feel fear. His eyes are locked on to hers, his expression blissful and knowing. Nadia ducks her head and takes refuge in his jacket, hearing him laugh. They begin to slow down and then come to an abrupt stop. She can tell that they’re still in the air. It feels like they’re hanging on a wire. 

“Nadia, look.”

“I don’t want to!” she whines.

David’s hand finds her chin and he lifts her head. Her eyes pop open. Marko, Dwayne, and Paul are standing on the ground glancing up at them while she and David are hanging in the air. Reality sets in and she begins to panic.

“How do I get down?”

The boys laugh and David gives her an affectionate kiss on the cheek as they float toward the ground. The moment her feet touch cement, she untangles herself from him and backs up, staring at the four of them with wide eyes.

“You gave me something again.”

He shakes his head and Paul snickers while Dwayne casts her a sympathetic look. Marko chews his fingernails, watching her through wide, twinkling eyes. 

“Then I’m dreaming!” She yelps. “This is a dream, because what just happened is not  _ fucking  _ normal, David!”

“I don’t think she believes me, fellas,” David quips, looking back at his brothers. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s time for plan b,” Paul says.

“What? What’s plan b? I haven’t even processed plan a yet!” Nadia squeaks.

David doesn’t ask for her hand this time. Instead, he wraps her in a tight side hug and walks her toward his bike. She climbs on behind him, still in a complete daze. The group takes off, the boys yowling and hollering into the night.

They roll up to a decrepit gas station on the outskirts of town. The bikes rumble to a halt. 

“What are we doing?” Nadia asks as David guides her off of the bike.

“You could call it a supply run,” Paul chuckles. The rest of the boys snicker.

Nadia’s stomach tightens as she follows them into the gas station. There’s a lone cashier working. He’s an older, portly man in his mid-fifties, leaning up against the counter watching something on a small portable television. Nadia can hear the faint sound of a laugh track through crackling static. The man’s eyes narrow the moment the boys open the door and cross the threshold. Paul and Marko stroll toward a shelf near the back and begin to pick up mickeys of vodka and whiskey, jamming them in their pockets with a sense of confidence that Nadia both admires and finds incredibly stupid, not to mention dangerous. The further you get from the city, the more unhinged people become. It’s not uncommon for the cops to find bodies out here. Nadia’s parents have always told her to stay as close to home as possible and to never deviate too far from the boardwalk. She always rolled her eyes at them, but now part of her wishes she had listened. 

“Hey!” The cashier bellows. “Put those back and get the fuck outta here!”

All four boys begin grinning and giggling like a pack of hyenas. They snake toward the man, who reaches beneath the counter and pulls out a shotgun. He cocks it and Nadia freezes. 

“I said get the fuck outta here,” he warns. There’s a tremor of fear in his voice. “I know what you are.”

The boys laugh, and with a flick of David’s head, they leap at him, knocking the shotgun out of his hand so that it clatters on the floor. Her entire body feels like it’s stuck to the floor. Muscles are clenched and ready to bolt, but she can’t move. She stands helpless as the man screams in pain when Dwayne grabs his wrist and wrenches his arm behind his back, smashing his face down onto the counter. Blood pools onto the counter and Nadia feels her mouth begin to water. Suddenly, she can move again, and instinctively takes a step forward. Marko grins at her, grabs the shotgun, and snaps it in half like a pencil. David takes his gloves off and Nadia’s breath catches when she sees his fingernails. Claws. He reaches down and slowly drags it like a razor across the man’s cheek and splits the skin, a blazing hot knife cutting through butter. A line of crimson appears like magic and a burning sensation begins to creep into Nadia’s stomach. She had no idea what’s happening, just that the closer she gets to the counter, the more she wants to tear this man to pieces. Her body is a maelstrom of fear, hunger, and rage. David laps at the blood on his fingernail and wrenches the man’s head upright, forcing his ear toward his right shoulder. He turns to Nadia.

“Your turn.”

His face is twisted and sharp - the same as it was earlier. Golden eyes pierce hers. When she looks to the other boys for help, she no longer recognizes them. A wave of nausea crashes against her and she bolts out the front door without a second thought, running as fast as her legs will carry her. She hears the boys whooping and hollering, calling her name into the darkness. Nadia begs her muscles to hold out until she’s home.


	6. Howl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plot and a bit of smut. This is a shorter chapter, I'm working on something longer for the next one. Thanks for reading! It means a lot!

She climbs in through her bedroom window, shaking and covered in sweat. Once her limbs touch the floor, she collapses and takes in deep, gulping breaths. Her lungs and muscles sting as her sprinting finally catches up with her. She moves her leg slightly and feels it begin to cramp and knot. Nadia whines and rolls onto her back, staring up at the ceiling as her sweat pools around her body. Every time she closes her eyes, she sees his face - golden eyes burning with malice. She shudders, remembering the hunger she felt as David offered her the cashier’s exposed neck. No matter how hard she fights it, she can’t stop thinking about ripping him open until there’s nothing left of him. Another wave of nausea hits her and she drags her exhausted, limp body toward the trash can beside her bed. She tries to vomit but nothing comes out and she groans. A knock at the door startles her.

“Nadia? Honey? Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” she croaks.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m just not feeling well. I think I have a stomach bug or something.”

“Can I come in?”

“No!” She yelps. She clears her throat. “No, I don’t want to get you sick.”

“You know there’s a flu going around, right?”

She rolls her eyes.

“Yep.”

“Do you need anything, sweetheart? Some soup or something?”

“No thank you!” Her voice grows more and more desperate the longer the conversation continues. She wants silence so that she can fucking think. “I’m just going to get some sleep.”

“Okay. Your father and I are off to bed too. Just let us know if you need anything.”

“Okayloveyou!” Nadia yells.

Her mother’s footsteps fade away and she manages to sit up, body slumping against the bed. She puts her head in her hands and groans. What is she going to do? She can’t call Reilly. For a second, she thinks about calling the cops but quickly abandons the idea. She can’t tell anyone. It sounds crazy. They’d just laugh at her or have her committed. David and his friends are the only ones with the answers she needs. She feels helpless, stuck. Alone. And still oddly connected to him. Her body oscillates between terror and the need to be close to him. 

The nausea intensifies. She wipes away the sweat and tears that have pooled in her eyes without her knowing and takes in a deep, calming breath. There has to be a solution for this. There just has to be. Nadia pulls herself to her feet and collapses on her bed. Instinctively, her hand reaches for the phone and she dials Reilly’s number. It rings and rings and rings. No answer. Nadia lets out a soft sob as she puts the receiver back onto the cradle. She rolls onto her back and closes her eyes, slipping quietly into unconsciousness.

Her dreams are erratic, loud, and terrifying. First, she relives the gas station incident over and over again. She gives in to David’s request, biting into the man’s neck and savouring the taste of copper pouring down her throat. All she smells is blood. She doesn’t remember waking up drenched in cold sweat and gasping for air before falling asleep again. What she _does_ remember is the rumble of a bike engine outside of her house. In a daze, she sits up and looks at the clock. 4am. Nadia crawls to the window and peers out. The sun is just beginning to peek over the horizon and she catches the edge of a long black coat driving into the darkness. She knows it’s him. Nobody else would be this much of a weirdo. Nadia limps back to bed, every muscle aching all at once. She falls into a dreamless sleep only to be woken by the sound of her phone ringing. Her arm reaches out and smashes against it, fingers fumbling to pick it up. Her eyes are still closed as she brings the receiver to her ear.

“Hullo?”

“How’d it go last night?” Reilly asks.

“Horrible.”

Her brain can’t form full sentences right now. All she wants to do is go back to sleep. 

“I’m coming over.”

“No!” Nadia whines.

“Yes!”

“Reilly!”

“Nadia!”

She sighs and blinks the bleariness from her eyes before glancing at the clock. 

“Holy fuck, it’s 9pm?!”

“Yeah, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all day, dude. Your parents said you’re really sick. I just thought you were hung over again.”

“No, I’m not you,” Nadia snipes.

“Ooooh cheap shot at my functioning alcoholism. Good one, Nadia. Listen, I’m coming over. We can watch movies and talk shit about David.”

“That actually sounds nice.”

“That’s because I’m a very nice person. I’ll be over in half an hour.”

“My parents…”

“Relax, Nadia. Your mom told me they were going out. They don’t wanna get sick.”

“All right.”

“See you in a bit.”

“Bye.”

As she hangs up the phone, she hears the window rattle above her and looks up to see David floating outside, staring at her with a small smirk on his face. With her last ounce of strength, she rolls and falls onto the floor on the other side of her bed in a feeble attempt to hide from him. There’s no way he hasn’t seen her. 

“Nadia,” he calls, taunting her.

“Fuck off!” She hisses. 

“Nadia, let me in.”

His voice is calm, yet commanding. Her muscles move to obey him, but she stops herself, squeezing the bedpost so hard with one hand that her knuckles turn white. She wants to go to the window, open it, and feel his lips on her. 

_No! Not until I get answers._

“Nadia!” He barks.

“The window is open!” She blurts out.

Her head pops up from the other side of the bed and they lock eyes. The toes of his boots are resting gently on the outside of the window ledge. His eyes burn into hers while the rest of his face remains still and calm. She can see his body shaking.

“I wanna talk to you.” His tone walks a fine line between sweetness and disciplinarian. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

Nadia runs both hands through her hair and gags. The nausea is getting worse. Her stomach hurts, and she can’t get the smell of the cashier’s blood out of her nose.

“Nadia, it’s not going to get better unless you let me in.”

She stands, knees knocking together. He’s the only person who can give her the answers she needs.

“You can come in.” Her voice is a small, terrified squeak. 

David grabs the top window ledge and gently swings in, landing silently on the floor. He starts toward her and Nadia backs up, stumbling over dirty laundry and piles of books.

“Don’t touch me!” She warns as she holds her hands out in front of her. It feels like a silly instinctual response considering what she just saw at the gas station. David holds back laughter. His eyes are soft, nothing like the way they looked at the gas station. He doesn’t come any closer. Instead, he takes off his gloves and tosses them onto her bed. 

“I’m not going to hurt you, Nadia.”

“What did you do to that guy? What did you do to me?! Every time I close my eyes, I see--”

“You see what you are,” he finishes for her.

“I’m not a killer,” Nadia hisses as tears sting her eyes. “And I’m not a monster. I saw your faces…”

He glides across the room and grabs her shoulders. His hands are large and gentle on her body.

“Look at me,” he orders.

Nadia meets his icy blue eyes as he takes her face in his hands. His skin is cold.

“All we’re doing is surviving.”

“What are you?”

More importantly, what is she? Her chest swirls with anger and confusion. David seems to sense what she’s feeling. He brushes her hair away from her face and traces a fingertip down her jawline. She fights the urge to moan softly and grab him and kiss him.

“You’ll never get sick. You’ll never grow old. You’ll never die. Being a monster comes with some pretty serious perks.”

“Wh--”

“Join us, Nadia.”

“What’s going to happen to me?”

“You’re going to be fine,” he says calmly. “You’re already turning.”

“Into _what_?! You can’t just show up here after you pulled that shit and give me no explanation!”

“You have the answers you need.”

He sounds tired, patronizing, and frustrated as though she’s not getting it. Nadia’s smart, but this is like playing the worst game ever - one where she doesn’t know the rules.

“You’re so fucking vague, it’s almost childish,” she spits. She doesn’t know where this courage is coming from, but she’s desperate to hold on to it. “You haven’t been straight with me since the beginning, David! You’re so confusing and fucking infuriating!”

He nods and stares at the ground for a moment before his hands wrap around her waist and he pushes her up against her bedroom wall. Instinctively, she winds her arms around his neck and lets his mouth cover hers. The kiss is hot and all-consuming. He tastes even better than he did the last time, and his lips feel like silk causing fireworks to go off in the back of her head. Her skin tingles and she moans softly into his mouth as she grabs a handful of hair, pulling tightly on it. David growls in response, one hand drifting up her shirt. His fingertips are like ice, dragging up her skin and over the delicate lace of her bra. She shivers in the best way possible as she raises one leg to wrap around his waist, desperate to feel as much of him against her as possible. He reaches down with his free hand to grip her thigh so hard she’s sure it will bruise. How is he doing this? Better yet, why the fuck is she giving in to him? Part of her doesn’t care and hates the part that does, that still wants to ask questions. 

Something animal has taken her over, pushing out all logic and reason. All that matters is him and his mouth against hers. David cups her breast, twisting her nipple through the fabric of her bra while he bites down on her bottom lip and tugs. The combination causes Nadia to make a truly humiliating noise - something between a whimper and a tantalizing moan. It doesn’t even sound like her voice. He giggles… _giggles_. A deep blush creeps into her cheeks and crawls down her neck. Her throat feels tight and her eyes roll back as her hips instinctively roll forward. David shifts his weight, drops her raised leg and places his knee between her thighs. Their mouths remain connected as she grinds down onto it, her body singing with pleasure at the opportunity to get some kind of release. His mouth only leaves hers to place open mouth kisses up and down her neck. She feels something sharp dragging against her skin and growls as her hips writhe faster against his knee.

“How’s this for infuriating?” He snarls.

He hits a spot just above her collarbone and she cries out, her climax building. His knee is soaking wet and she begins to whine and mewl desperately as David lifts her shirt and pushes her bra up to take her nipple between his teeth.

“David,” she moans. “David, please.”

He lifts his head and grasps her chin tightly. His eyes bore into hers, causing her to gasp.

“Please what?”

“Make me come,” she sobs.

“Let go, Nadia,” he breathes.

She tilts her head back, fingers gripping the soft wool of his jacket as she pushes herself over the edge as David sucks a dark hickey onto her neck. Nadia moans his name over and over again as she rides out her climax, her body sticky with sweat. Every muscle in her body is exhausted and overstimulated. David ghosts his lips up and down the length of her throat as she begins to float back to reality. She’s still mad at him and she still wants answers, but no boy she’s ever been with ever made her come like that. Nadia’s jaw is slack and her eyes are hooded as she looks at him and the smug smile that currently paints his face.

“David, I--”

“NADIA!” Reilly’s voice comes crashing into the room, along with her obnoxiously loud knock. “Let me in, asshole!”

She groans in frustration and pinches the bridge of her nose. David grabs her wrist and gives her one last rough kiss before pressing his forehead to hers.

“Till we meet again, sugar.”

He turns and leaps out of her window in one swift movement. She sighs as he disappears. Part of her wants to reach out and grab the last wisp of fabric that vanishes into the night. She doesn’t want him to go. Nadia has never felt this frazzled or fragile in her life. Not even the night she caught Nathan cheating on her. This is a whole new level of existential crisis combined with an actual fucking crisis. She has no idea what’s happening to her and he seems to be more interested in getting in her pants than giving her actual answers. Instead of following him, she runs a hand through her hair and mutters a curse under her breath while Reilly continues to thump on her bedroom door.

If he set out to drive her crazy, it’s working.


	7. Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smut! Because I feel like it.

_Somewhere darker, talkin' the same shite_   
_I need a partner, well, are you out tonight?_   
_It's harder and harder to get you to listen_   
_More I get through the gears_   
_Incapable of makin' alright decisions, and havin' bad ideas_

_-_ Arctic Monkeys, "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?"

“You HUMPED HIS LEG?!”

Nadia sits with her face buried in her hands, redness creeping down to her forearms. She shouldn’t have said anything.

“Don’t say it like that,” she mumbles through her fingers.

“No, I’m _going_ to say it like that because that’s what you did! You humped his leg like a dog!”

“It was more dignified than that!” Nadia retorts.

Reilly explodes with laughter - screaming, hysterical laughter that Nadia rarely gets to hear. She watches as her best friend almost rolls right off of the bed, catching herself and yelping before falling into another giggle fit. 

“Oh, shit, Nadia. That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all week.”

“I’m such an idiot,” she mumbles.

Reilly finally stops laughing and props her head on her hand.

“Who cares? You had a good time. You’re gonna need turtlenecks for those hickeys, though.”

“What hickeys?!”

“The massive ones he left on your neck.”

Nadia immediately leaps off of the bed and runs into her bathroom. A gasp escapes her throat when she looks in the mirror. 

“Oh my GOD!” 

“What?!” Reilly calls. She knocks on the door. “Let me see!”

Nadia runs and locks it.

“NONONO! It’s fine! It’s uh… it’s… I’m just putting makeup on it!” 

There’s almost nothing left of her to look at. She can see the towel rack that her body is supposed to be blocking. She rubs her eyes in the hope that she’s just hallucinating, but when she opens them again, nothing has changed.

“What the fuck?” She whispers. “David, what did you do to me?”

She stands, staring at herself slowly fading away. Her mind races. Fangs, yellow eyes, no reflection, sleeping all day. She smelled blood last night. Her jaw drops and the realization hits her like a freight train.

“Vampire,” she whispers.

She wants to laugh. It’s insane. Vampires aren’t real.

Right?

Nadia splashes some water on her face and looks back up at herself. Still, no change. 

“Fuck.”

“What’s taking you so long in there?” Reilly asks. “You wanna watch a movie or look at your hickeys all night?”

“I’ll be right out!”

She fumbles through the bathroom drawer and manages to sloppily smear concealer onto her neck. She can’t really see the bruise because of the whole reflection thing. Nadia comes out of the bathroom and switches her t-shirt for a turtleneck before they climb down the stairs and settle onto the couch. Reilly makes popcorn while Nadia glances out the window, her eyes searching the darkness for any sign of David’s bike. She feels like she’s being watched, but she can’t pinpoint from where. It’s just a feeling that slowly begins to swirl around her like smoke. Her eyes dart back and forth from her spot on the couch and she bites her lip. There’s nothing but darkness out there. She gives up after a few minutes and they settle in to watch the movie. Reilly peruses the family’s videotape collection.

“Oooh, what about Fright Night?”

“No!” Nadia almost yelps.

Reilly flashes her a quizzical look and frowns.

“Aw, come on!”

“Nope. Nothing scary.”

And nothing with vampires in it. She doesn’t really want to watch a fictional account of what could be happening to her right now. Reilly sighs dramatically and slides the tape back into the shelf before moving on. 

“Dirty Dancing? Swayze’s pretty hot.”

“Sure.”

Reilly pops the tape in and they settle in, burying themselves under a mountain of blankets and sharing a massive bowl of popcorn. The movie helps Nadia forget - for a while, at least. Still, she can’t shake the feeling that someone’s watching her. After about an hour, Reilly turns to her.

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure.”

“How big was it?”

“What?”

“His… _you know_.”

“I didn’t touch it,” Nadia laughs. “It was strictly third base.”

“Wait, he got into your pants, but you didn’t get into his?”

“No!” She laughs. “Under the shirt. And the bra.”

“So, second.”

“Second and a half.”

“Second and a half?!” Reilly laughs.

“Who’s on first?”

A giggle fit ensues and Nadia feels like a normal person for the first time all night. Once they calm down, Reilly sighs.

“How big do you think it is?”

“Reilly!”

“I’m just curious! He acts like it’s like a foot long or something. I just wanted to know if he lived up to his attitude.”

Nadia laughs and covers her face.

“I’m sure it’s fine. Can we please just watch the movie?”

“Will you tell me when you finally fuck him?”

“OH MY GOD!” Nadia yells through laughter. “Will you STOP?!”

They fall into a fit of giggles, leaning on each other, and gasping for breath. As their laughter dies down, there’s a tap on the window. Nadia and Reilly turn around to see David standing outside. Reilly chokes on her popcorn and jumps off of the sofa. 

“What the _fuck_?!”

“He does that,” Nadia mumbles, rushing to the front door. She walks outside, leaving it open while Reilly watches them through the window. David grins at her.

“Hiya, dollface.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I wanna pick up where we left off last night.”

Nadia blinks. He’s nothing if not bold. Reilly was right, he really does act like his dick is a foot long. She runs a hand through her hair.

“We’re busy.”

“Movie’s almost over,” David replies, lighting a cigarette and glancing inside.

“My _parents_ are going to be home soon.”

“Then we’ll make it quick.”

“David.”

“Nadia.”

He’s smiling from ear to ear. 

“You still haven’t given me any answers, you know.”

He exhales a large cloud of smoke and toes at the soft ground. His expression softens and butterflies explode in her stomach.

“I was actually wondering if we could go somewhere and talk. No funny stuff. Promise.”

She hears the front door shut. Reilly is in her coat and shoving her feet into her sneakers. 

“I’m going to Mick’s place, Nadia!”

“Hang on a second, David,” Nadia whispers before rushing over to her friend and pulling her aside, just out of David’s earshot. Hopefully. “What are you doing?”

“I know when to fuck off,” Reilly laughs. 

“I’m not kicking you out, you know.”

“Babe, I know that. Listen, I’ll see you at work tomorrow, okay?”

“Are you sure you’re cool with this? I can kick him out.”

“Nadia, you can’t see the way he’s looking at you right now, but I guarantee you it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. I take back every mean thing I ever said about him. If you don’t fuck him, I will.”

Nadia knows it’s a joke - sort of - she laughs softly and nods. 

“We’re just going to talk.”

“Whatever makes you feel better, girl,” Reilly quips. “I’m going to get laid.”

“Have fun.”

“You too!” She tosses Nadia a wink and waves at David. “Bye, David!”

“Bye, Reilly,” he purrs.

Reilly grabs her bike off of the front lawn and speeds off into the darkness. Nadia turns back to David, who kills his cigarette and tosses it on the ground, crushing it beneath his boot. He starts toward her and she gulps. 

“Let’s go upstairs,” she whispers.

“Sure.”

He follows her inside and goes to take his shoes off, but Nadia stops him.

“Parents.”

“Strict?”

“I have a 10pm curfew,” she scoffs. “What do you think?”

“Say no more.”

The climb up the stairs feels like the longest one of her life. She can feel him behind her, eyes fixed on her back. Nadia takes in a breath, trying not to make her nervousness too obvious. They enter her room and David shuts the door behind him.

“Lock it,” she says. 

He glances behind him and chuckles.

“They give you a 10pm curfew but keep the lock on the door?”

“I said they were strict, not smart.”

David grins and turns the lock. Nadia sits down on the bed, folding her hands in her lap. 

“David, last night you said I was already turning.”

“Yeah.” He leans against her bedroom door, hands in his pockets and eyes crystal clear and blazing.

“I was in the bathroom tonight and I looked in the mirror --”

“No reflection.”

“Yeah. And then I started thinking about the other night, about your faces. About me.”

“Sleeping late? A thirst you can’t quench? Sensitive to sunlight?”

She laughs and shakes her head.

“I thought I was hungover or going crazy.” Her eyes lock on to his. It dawns on her that Santa Carla being the murder capital of the world makes a whole lot more sense. Every time she goes to the boardwalk, there’s another missing person poster plastered on the community board. “You’re a vampire.”

He grins, clearly impressed. 

“And you’re a quick study. It usually takes people a while to figure it out.”

 _Thank you, English class_ , she thinks with a tinge of bitterness. 

“You’re going to have to feed soon,” he says after a moment.

“You mean kill soon.”

David shrugs, like he’s completely divorced himself from the act of taking a life. Maybe he has. Nadia wonders how old he is and how much he’s seen. 

“That’s a matter of perspective,” he replies. 

He moves toward the bed and sits beside her, pulling a small flask out of his jacket. Nadia stares at it. She thinks about the cave, the wine bottle, his mouth on hers. David lifts the flask to his lips and takes a drink. He offers it to her and, suddenly, everything comes flooding back.

“The wine bottle,” she whispers. “That was your blood.”

He reaches out to brush her cheek with ice cold fingers. His touch is electric.

“I knew you’d figure it out.”

She flushes a deep pink. David’s eyes crawl over every feature, as though committing them to memory. 

“What happens now?”

“Like I said…”

“David, I don’t know if I can do that.”

“You’ll learn.”

There’s a dark weight to his voice that sends a shiver straight down her spine. Nadia watches with morbid fascination as he runs a long, claw-like fingernail across his wrist. The flesh splits open to reveal a dark crimson liquid that immediately makes Nadia’s mouth water. She can smell it. It’s sweet and decadent. Her lips part and she shivers. David holds out his arm to her.

“Drink.”

“Wh--”

“It’ll help. I promise.”

“David…”

“Doesn’t it hurt? Burn?”

She gulps. Her throat is on fire and her jaw tingles at the smell of his blood. 

“Yes.”

He leans in. His lips hover over hers.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

She gives him a wordless nod and he brings his wrist up to her lips. Nadia lets out a soft moan.

“Drink.”

She presses her lips to his skin. The moment the blood hits her tongue, something inside of her changes. A low growl rumbles in her chest and she drinks deeply. The burning sensation in her stomach and throat vanish almost immediately. This is what she’s needed all along. It’s what no amount of food or water could satisfy. The sensation is incredible and sets her entire body on fire. Nadia lets out a soft moan as David grabs her by the chin and lifts her head to face him.

“That’s enough.”

She has to have him. All of him. Nadia pushes him down onto the bed and attacks his mouth, kissing him like he’s the only thing that’s ever mattered in the word. Everything she wants is right in front of her. David quickly flips her on to her back and breaks the kiss. Nadia gasps and whines, much to his amusement.

“I thought you wanted to wait for a few dates.”

“Consider this our third date,” she growls, grasping the sides of his face and pulling him in for another kiss. He tastes incredible and his skin is electric and pulsing against hers. Nadia reaches down and peels off her turtleneck and quickly tossing it to the side. David’s eyes cascade over her bare torso. He doesn’t say it, but she hears the word _beautiful_ ring in her ears before his head dips to lick and suck at her nipple. She groans loudly. “Oh, God, David.”

He chuckles softly as his fingers slip down her torso to unbutton her jeans. She whines and mewls, her head lolling to one side, eyes unfocused and mouth agape. There’s no logic, no reason occurring in her brain. She needs him. Inexplicably. For a moment she wonders if this is what it feels like to be in love, to be enraptured, spellbound, and completely devoted to someone. It feels like every romance novel she’s read. She doesn’t even know if this is love, but she’ll take it. It feels incredible. Euphoric. David slides her jeans off and tosses them behind him. Nadia’s eyes come back into focus just in time to see him smirk. He grasps her chin again.

“Are you sure?”

She nods.

“Need you,” she whines.

“You have me,” he breathes as his lips ghost down her torso. With a quick motion, he extends a claw and slices into the delicate fabric of her panties. Nadia whimpers and he looks up at her with bright eyes before spreading her legs and placing a flat tongue on her throbbing cunt. She immediately cries out, back arching to give him everything she possibly can. David rests his hands on her hips and gets to work, tongue flicking ever so lightly against her clit. Nadia’s eyes screw shut and she grips the sheets for dear life while gasping for air. Her whole body is tingling, burning and aching, but not for blood. She just wants him. Her thighs clench around his head and he begins to hum against her clit, sending the vibrations all the way to her toes and fingertips. She wiggles her fingers to make sure she can still feel them while writhing beneath him. He brings her right to the edge, sucking gently on her clit and making sure that she’s whispering his name over and over again. He seems to enjoy it. When he pulls away, she whines in protest, and he giggles. The same laugh as the one she heard last night, boyish and oddly adorable. 

“Just a second, sugar,” he purrs. 

Nadia props herself up on her elbows and watches him strip, first shedding his jackets and then peeling off his shirt. There’s a smattering of dark blonde hair on his chest and a small tattoo on his left pectoral. A cat’s head with bared teeth. It looks old and shoddy, like it was done with a needle and pen ink - but on him, it only serves to make him more attractive. David smirks at her as he slides off his boots and unbuttons his leather pants, kicking them off to the side. She has to stop herself from making a tiny squeak when she sees just how big he is. He’s achingly hard, cock twitching as he looks her up and down with an appreciative smile. He’s gorgeous, glowing even. She gasps and he quirks an eyebrow.

“What?”

“You’re so beautiful,” she murmurs.

“You’re one to talk, dollface.”

She blushes as he crawls on top of her, hands running up her thighs. Slowly, he slips two fingers inside of her, growling at the way her eyes roll back. 

“That’s a good girl,” he purrs. “So wet for me.”

His fingers curl and she begins to fall apart. David laughs softly.

“Come for me, Nadia.”

She grabs her pillow and screams into it, coming hard, as he fucks her with his fingers while his thumb circles her clit. David doesn’t stop, milking out another climax from her within a few minutes. Nadia is drenched in sweat and panting beneath him, but the ache in her core remains. She reaches out to grasp his forearms, her eyes blazing. 

“Tell me what you want,” he purrs. She whines and he leans over, tugging on her earlobe with his teeth. “Do you want me to fuck you?”

“Yes,” she chokes out.

“Beg," he commands.

Her stomach flutters.

“Please.”

“Say my name.”

“David, please fuck me,” she sobs. “Please, David.”

Without another word, he slips into her, stretching her to the point of pain. She hisses and he stills. Their eyes lock.

“Slow,” she breathes. "Please."

He nods and leans down to kiss her as his hips begin to slowly rock forward and he pushes himself deeper and deeper inside of her. She holds on to him like a life raft, her fingers clutching, stroking, and swimming through his hair as he grunts and snarls. The ache and stinging sensation inside of her is quickly replaced with pleasure as the tip of his cock begins to glide against her g-spot. Nadia rolls her hips up to maintain the sensation that’s rocketing through her body like a wildfire. She claws at him desperately, moaning his name in between shallow breaths. David’s eyes are rolled back and a guttural snarl fills the room that almost makes her come right then and there. His thrusts speed up and she claws at the soft flesh of his back, blood pooling beneath her fingernails. The pain only seems to make him fuck her harder. When his eyes finally roll forward and open, they’re the most gorgeous shade of amber she’s ever seen. They’re not the same as they were at the gas station, or even at the boardwalk when he showed her his true face. His fangs descend, but his face remains soft and boyish. 

“David…”

“I’m gonna come,” he snarls.

He slams into her over and over and over again until tears spring from her eyes and flow down her cheeks. David wipes them away with his thumb as he begins to come, groaning her name and spilling into her. Nadia wraps her legs around his waist to pull him deeper and he hits her g-spot in just the right way that makes her fall apart all over again. She sees spots and stars, laughing as she comes down from her high. His rhythm slows and eventually, he rolls off of her. They lay there, quiet, breathing hard and slick with her sweat. 

“I’ve never had anyone fuck me like that before,” she laughs, covering her face with her hands.

“Could you get used to it?” He asks.

Nadia rolls on top of him, placing a bruising kiss on his lips. She’s not even thinking about what she would have to give up. Right now, he’s the only thing that matters.

“God, yes.”


	8. About a Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More smut, and a smidgen of plot. Thanks so much for reading this new version!

The room is quiet, and the only sound Nadia hears is the soft rushing of her own breath. It’s steady now, and her heartbeat has slowed to a crawl, but she’s still sticky with sweat. David doesn’t seem to mind. Her head rests on his chest as he runs his fingers through her hair. Nadia finds herself at a strange impasse. She feels connected to him on a level that she can’t quite explain, but the thought of her taking another person’s life so that she can join him completely sits like a stone in her gut. He explained to her how she has to turn and no matter how far she tries to run from the thought, it always returns. Nausea rocks her body. Yet, somewhere deep within her, there’s a compulsion to rip and tear into flesh, to feel bone shattering beneath her and swallow screams like water. She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes in a desperate attempt to push the thoughts away. 

And then there’s school. How the fuck is she supposed to move and live in New York? She leaves in a month. Without David to guide her, she’s dangerous, a bomb waiting to go off. Nevermind the fact that she still hasn’t told her parents or Reilly that she’s leaving. She hasn’t even accepted her spot.

Nadia rakes her fingernails down his chest lightly. He purrs.

“How long do I have?” She asks.

“What do you mean?”

“How long can I live off of your blood?”

“Not long,” David mumbles. “A few months, maybe. It’s different for everyone.”

More silence fills the room. Her chest feels heavy.

“Why did you pick me?”

The question appears to unsettle him.

“I have to go,” he murmurs, pushing her off of him and sliding off of the bed. Nadia sits up and covers herself with the blanket while he gets dressed. “Sun’s coming up soon.”

“David.”

He says nothing as he pulls his jeans over his hips. He won’t even look at her. She feels sick, yet somehow finds a sliver of confidence living deep within herself.

“David, please. You owe me this much.”

“I don’t know,” he says finally as he pulls his shirt over his head. 

His eyes are sincere, and back to their usual piercing blue. She expects him to sit down next to her, to touch her, kiss her, and make her feel better. He doesn’t. He’s not her boyfriend. Vampire or not, he’s still just some guy she met at the boardwalk and was stupid enough to sleep with. Her skin flushes and her cheeks become hot with shame and anger at herself. His sudden coldness makes her shrink and she pulls her limbs into her body in an attempt to make herself as invisible as possible. 

As he slips his jacket over his shoulders and puts on his gloves, he steps toward her, grasping her chin and pulling her gaze upward to meet his. He kisses her with the same passion and vigor he had the night they went out to Hudson’s Bluff and watched the fireworks. Nadia melts immediately and pulls him onto the bed so that his body covers hers. He makes her forget, even if he’s the sole cause of 99 percent of the problems swirling around in her brain right now. David snarls as his gloved hands glide up her body as though he’s touching her for the first time. He gently cups her breast and runs his thumb across her nipple. She moans. David’s tongue slides against hers and she wraps her legs around his waist. 

“You’re mine,” he growls as his lips ghost across her neck.

Her head tilts backward and she sighs softly, whimpering and nodding in agreement. His hips roll against hers and she can feel his hardness. He whines softly into her mouth. She flushes and giggles knowing she’s doing this to him - reducing an aloof bad boy to a whimpering mess. Her fingers reach down to unbutton his jeans and she wraps her hand around his cock, stroking him slowly. David snarls, his hips bucking slowly toward her hand.

“Shit.”

“You wanna go for another round?”

David moans and her strokes speed up. She runs her thumb over the tip of his cock and he instinctively bites into her neck. Nadia gasps as pain and pleasure collide in her nerve endings. Her eyes roll back as he slides into her again fucking her slowly while he drinks from her. Her skin tingles. When he lifts his head and dislodges his fangs from her neck, he kisses her, letting her taste the blood that’s still lingering in his mouth. Nadia’s hunger for him becomes insatiable. Her fingers clutch his hair and she pulls away staring at him through hooded eyes and swollen lips.

“Harder.”

David laughs.

“You can’t take it.”

“Please,” she whines.

He glides his thumb across her bottom lip, forcing it to drop. Nadia sucks gently on it and he purrs.

“I like watching you come slowly,” he growls as he drives himself deeper into her. “It’s so fucking pretty.”

Nadia keens softly, keeping the scream she wants to let out lodged in her throat. There’s a good chance her parents have come home. The last thing she needs is to get caught fucking David because she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. Literally. She can feel her climax building slowly and painfully. David leans in and presses his lips to the shell of her ear. His tongue traces the flesh delicately as his hips begin to speed up.

“Does anyone else fuck you like this?” He breathes.

She moans softly and shakes her head.

“Say it,” he orders.

“No.”

“You like the way I fuck you?”

“Yes, _God_ yes.”

His smoky laugh makes goosebumps rise on her skin.

“Good girl.”

He grunts and fucks her harder, pushing her right to the edge of a proverbial cliff. Nadia claws at his jacket and whimpers.

“David… David please.”

A loud knock rings through the bedroom and both of them stop dead in their tracks, eyes fixed on each other. Nadia’s body becomes tense and coiled. 

_Fuck!_

She was so close, and judging by the look on David’s face, he was too. A rush of disappointment washes over her.

“Nadia?” Her mother calls. “Nadia, are you awake, dear?”

David grins and kisses her. There’s a devilish glint in his eyes. He thrusts his hips slowly, pushing himself deep inside of her and hitting that _fucking spot_ in just the right way. The motion combined with the way he’s looking at her pushes her right over the edge. Nadia comes and reaches for his coat, shoving the fabric between her teeth to keep herself from screaming. He’s grinning at her, incredibly proud of himself. Another knock at the door makes her body jolt.

“Nadia?!” Her mother sounds panicked.

“That was mean,” she whispers.

David kisses her while holding back laughter.

“We’ll pick this up again later.” 

He pushes himself off of her and strides toward the window, tucking himself back into his pants. Nadia’s mouth is agape and he gives her a wink and a small salute before leaping into the darkness. Her brain is still in panic mode as her mother tries to open the door. It’s still locked. Thank God. She rubs her eyes and puts on her best fake sick voice.

“Mom?”

“Nadia, baby, open the door,” her mother pleads.

“Hang on.”

She touches her neck in the spot where David bit her, expecting to feel a wound, but it’s smooth and there’s no blood when she looks at her fingers. In a daze, she spends some time stumbling around her room - partially for theatrics and partially to look for her robe. It was somewhere under her desk -- yes! She slips it on and slowly unlocks the door. Her mother is standing in the hall with two pills in her hand and a glass of water.

“Oh, honey, you look terrible,” she says with a frown.

“Thanks,” Nadia mumbles. “Good to see you too.”

Her mother thrusts the pills out toward her.

“Take these.”

“What are they?”

“They’re supposed to help you sleep. Your dad got them when he hurt his back.”

“What makes you think I’m having trouble sleeping?”

“You always have trouble sleeping when you’re sick,” her mother replies, her voice filled with nostalgia. “Ever since you were a baby.”

Nadia swallows the pills and drains the glass of water.

“Thanks.”

Her mother leans in and kisses her on the forehead. A soft gasp escapes her lips.

“Good lord, Nadia! You’re freezing! Get in bed right now!”

“Mom!” She whines.

“Do as you’re told! You’re not getting any sicker.” Her mother pushes her toward the bed and rushes to the window. “And why are you leaving this open?!”

“Because it’s July?”

Her mother shuts the window and locks it. 

“Enough snark from you this evening. I’ll see you in the morning. I’ll bring you breakfast.”

Nadia climbs into bed, already beginning to feel the effects of the pills. Her vision becomes hazy and she can feel her eyes drooping. She nods and collapses as her mother leans down to kiss her on the forehead.

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” Nadia mumbles.

She wakes up to a phone ringing and fumbles for it, almost knocking it clean off of the nightstand.

“Hello?”

“How was that Billy Idol dick last night?” Reilly purrs into the phone. “Did he give it to you?”

“I’m going to tell my dad to tell you to stop calling me.”

Reilly laughs.

“Tell meeeee!” She whines.

“What time is it?”

“4pm. Hey, are you coming to work tonight?”

Nadia sits up, blearly-eyed and confused. Her breakfast sits on her vanity, no doubt placed there by her mother. Toast, an orange, and a cup of now cold coffee. 

“Yeah,” she says. “9, right?”

“Yeah. Anne called me earlier and said we could close up early.”

“As per usual.”

Reilly chuckles while Nadia gets her bearings. 

“So?” Reilly asks. “Tell me!”

“It was…” she sighs and feels herself beginning to blush as she relives the previous evening. She can still feel his lips on her skin. “He definitely knows what he’s doing.”

“YES!” Reilly shouts. “I KNEW IT! It was worth ditching me.”

“I didn’t ditch you!”

“You totally did,” Reilly argues.

Nadia rolls her eyes.

“Like you haven’t done that to me.”

“I haven’t!”

“That is such a lie!” Nadia yelps, dragging the phone toward her vanity and shoving a piece of cold toast into her mouth. “In tenth grade you left me at a bus stop to go and meet up with Brian Thompson _and_ you took my bus fare and I had to walk home!”

“He had really good weed!” 

“It was oregano!” Nadia hisses as pieces of dry toast spray onto the carpet.

“Oh, whatever!” She can almost hear Reilly’s eyes rolling. “Other than that, when have I ever--”

“Summer of tenth grade you ditched me at the beach to go and give Eric Wilkinson a handjob in the bathroom. You took forever and I got so bored that I fell asleep in the sun and woke up with blisters on my ass!”

“That last part wasn’t my fault. He took forever to co --”

“GAAAAAAHHH!” Nadia screams, waving a hand in front of her face. “I don’t want to hear about Eric Wilkinson’s dick. You ditched me, and I’m blaming you for the sunburn.”

Reilly is quiet for a moment as Nadia examines her transparent reflection in the mirror. Sadness creeps over her as she takes in her own image. If she agrees to this, she’ll never see herself again. The sunlight shifts and a soft beam of light hits her directly in the eye. She winces and feels her head beginning to pulse. A wave of exhaustion crashes against her. If she closes her eyes, she can hear the clock in the kitchen downstairs ticking and the sound of her dog snoring. The rest of the house is silent. Her parents must still be at work.

“How was it though?” Reilly’s voice cuts through the quiet.

“What?”

“You didn’t give me any details! C’mon, how was he other than ‘he knows what he’s doing’?”

Nadia laughs and takes a sip of cold coffee. It tastes so much stronger than she remembers - slightly bitter, yet smooth, smoky, and perfectly roasted. Her dad always bragged about making the best coffee in his office but she never really tasted a difference between that and gas station coffee. Until now. She can’t get enough of it. Reilly sighs through the silence.

“Nadia!” She snaps.

“Sorry. He, uh…” she twirls the phone cord around her finger and feels herself blush. “He’s really good with his tongue.”

Reilly cackles. Nadia can tell it’s one of those head tossed back, open mouthed laughs that make her look gorgeous, yet slightly insane.

“You know, that is a rare quality in a man. You should probably marry him.”

“Oh, God, let’s not go there today, shall we?”

“What are you doing later tonight?”

“After work?”

“Yeah.”

“Nothing.”

“You wanna hang out again?”

“Sure.”

“Okay, cool. I’ll see you later?”

“Yep,” Nadia agrees. “Love you.”

“Love you.”

She hangs up the phone, takes a deep breath, and finishes her breakfast before setting her alarm for 7pm and falling back into a dreamless sleep. 

&&&

Nadia and Reilly sit at the booth counting their tips. Thirty bucks each. Pretty decent for a slow night. Just as Reilly slides out of the booth to lock the door, the bell jingles.

“We’re closed!” Nadia calls.

“That’s a shame,” David purrs from behind her. “Because I was hoping to see a certain waitress. I think her name is Nadia. Do you know her?”

She turns around to see David, Paul, Marko, and Dwayne standing behind her. Her heart flutters at the sight of the four of them. They’re gorgeous and incredibly intimidating. Truth be told, if she saw them on the boardwalk and didn’t already know David, she would do everything she could to avoid their attention. Now she understands why. She looks back at Reilly who is suddenly very focused on counting her tips again. Nadia grins and turns back to David.

“Huh. Don’t know her.”

“Are you sure?” He asks. “She’s about your height, similar face, kinda cute…”

“Kinda cute?” Nadia replies with a sly grin.

“Yeah. Bit of an attitude, though.”

“Maybe you deserve it?” Nadia quips.

Marko giggles and turns his head to the side, biting his knuckles to keep from laughing even harder. Paul chortles while Dwayne gives her a smirk and a quick nod of approval. She feels Reilly’s eyes on her, but doesn’t have time to turn around before David walks around to the side of the booth, grabs her chin and kisses her softly. The bell jingles again and the six of them look at the entrance to see a very drunk pack of frat boys stumbling inside. 

“Closed,” David says, his voice sharp and his eyes narrowed. 

Reilly and Nadia pop their heads up from behind their vinyl seats to look at the entrance. The two groups square off, staring at each other, eyes narrowed and snarls plastered on their faces. She glances at Reilly who is watching with wide eyes and a big grin on her face. Marko takes a step forward and cracks his knuckles. Nadia sucks in a deep breath. She has the feeling he’s the scrapper in the group. Although, they all look like they would do well in a fight - vampirism aside. Dwayne is huge, gorgeous, and intimidating. Paul looks like he could make a grown man cry without throwing a single punch, and David… well, David is the orchestrator. He seems like he only uses his strength when absolutely needed. 

It’s quiet. Nadia’s heart pounds. Marko tilts his head to the side and grins. Instantly, the group of frat boys disappear. The rest of the boys laugh. Reilly looks thoroughly impressed.

“You guys wanna work here?” She offers. “I’m sure Anne would love to hire you as security.”

“We’d do it for free burgers,” Paul offers.

Reilly seems to consider the suggestion. Nadia laughs and shakes her head, eyes flicking toward David.

“What are you doing here?”

“You wanna hang out? We’re going to the movies.”

“Oh?”

“Come with us. Both of you.”

Nadia looks at Reilly who shrugs.

“We were going to have a girl’s night.”

“Nice,” Paul quips. “Naked pillow fights.”

Marko punches him hard in the arm and Paul hisses.

“You’ll have to excuse Paul. He’s… uncouth.”

“Fuck you, man! You’re a… couth,” Paul snipes.

Marko nods.

“Good one.”

“Okay, calm down Shakespeare,” Dwayne mumbles as he pats Paul on the back. 

David chuckles and slides into the booth next to Nadia. He plays with her hair, sending a shiver down her spine.

“Let’s go.”

“If you guys wanna come crash our girl’s night, I have beer,” Reilly offers.

All four boys perk up and glance at each other before nodding in agreement.

“We’ll give you a ride,” David says.

“I call dibs on Reilly!” Paul yells before sprinting out toward the parking lot. Reilly flushes while Marko mutters a curse word under his breath, following him outside with Dwayne trailing behind him. Nadia chuckles.

“You’re popular tonight, Reilly.”

“They just want me for my beer,” She replies as she shoves her tips into her purse. “C'mon. Let’s close this bitch and get the fuck out of here.”

David grins, his crystal eyes sparkling.

“I like your friends,” he whispers in Nadia’s ear.


	9. Love My Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smut! But not from the characters you'd expect! Well... sort of... This is just filler because I'm having trouble figuring out how to advance the plot.

They park outside of Reilly’s dorm. The night is warm and a thin sheen of sweat clings to her skin despite the motorcycle ride. David helps Nadia climb off of the bike while Paul and Reilly giggle against each other. He helps her smooth down her hair and snakes an arm around her shoulder as she leads them toward the building. Marko and Dwayne walk behind them with David and Nadia at the back. He leans down and tugs on her earlobe with his teeth. Nadia groans softly. 

“What are you doing?” She giggles.

“I was hoping we could get some alone time.”

“You wanted to go to the movies. Not exactly alone time.”

“Dark theater,” he says with a smirk.

“We still have a lot to talk about, you know,” Nadia reminds him.

David’s expression becomes stony, but he gives her a small nod and wraps an arm around her waist. The gesture makes Nadia’s heart soar. The moment they walk into the lobby, she grabs David’s hand and turns left but Reilly stops them with a loud snap of her fingers.

“Hey, dumbass!” She shouts. “I’m on the other side now.”

Nadia turns around, eyes wide. 

“What? When did this happen?”

“Couple days ago,” Reilly says with a shrug.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

The boys look around the lobby. An RA spots the group and begins to stride toward them with a scowl plastered across his face, but one glare from Dwayne and he retreats like a wounded animal. Nadia snickers along with the other boys.

“You were… preoccupied,” Reilly replies, grinning at David. He winks at her. “Anyway, I got a whole room to myself.”

“The bigger one?!”

“Slipped the RA an extra forty bucks,” Reilly beams. “But I have to move out in September when the first years flood the campus.”

“That’s not the worst deal in the world.”

Reilly leads the group to the other end of the building and ushers them inside. It’s sparse, but comfortable, and still definitely a dorm room - posters of her favorite bands plaster the walls. Pink Floyd, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, and Cindi Lauper. There are cinder blocks acting as a tv stand, a mini fridge, and a small couch that Nadia swears she’s seen sitting outside near the dumpsters. She glances around. 

“It’s not much, but…”

“This is way better, Reilly,” Nadia remarks. “I’m not tripping over Cindy’s stuff anymore.”

Reilly smiles and looks around.

“You guys want beer?”

“Shit yeah,” Paul replies, flopping onto Reilly’s bed. 

The rest of the boys nod. Dwayne sits on the floor and lights a joint, passing it to Paul. David and Nadia drop onto the couch. One of his hands comes to rest high up on her thigh, making her blush furiously, while his other arm snakes around her shoulder. Marko takes the chair next to them, perching on it like a tiny gargoyle. David looks over at him and smirks. Marko wiggles his eyebrows and makes a goofy face before breaking out into a big, bright smile. Nadia giggles and shakes her head. Vampires aside, these boys are actually kind of fun to hang out with. They’re gorgeous, they ride motorcycles, and they’re pretty laid back -- again, vampirism and murdering the residents of Santa Carla aside. Reilly grabs three packs of beer out of the mini fridge and begins ripping them from their plastic rings and tossing them around the room like tiny grenades. Her aim is terrible, but each boy’s reflexes are sharp and they manage to catch them regardless. Reilly’s eyes go wide and she laughs.

“Damn. I usually hit Nadia right in the face when I do this.”

Nadia rolls her eyes.

“Ha-ha, asshole.”

“You’re the one who can’t catch,” Reilly says with a wink. “What should we watch?”

“What do you have?” Paul asks.

“Well, Nadia is scared of Fright Night, so that’s--”

“FRIGHT NIGHT!” The boys cry in unison. She snarls quietly. David reaches over the back of the couch and drapes a blanket over their laps. She raises her eyebrows and glares at him, knowing exactly what he has planned during the movie. Vampire or not, all boys are exactly the same. 

“Ease up, horndog,” she mumbles.

David flashes her a devilish smirk.

“You don’t like horror movies?”

“I don’t like a _specific_ kind of horror movie,” she whispers. “For certain reasons.”

Reilly glances at Nadia and grins.

“Majority rules! Looks like you lose, wuss!”

Nadia sneers at her.

“I love you too, Reilly.”

Reilly pops the tape in and climbs onto the bed next to Paul, who wraps his arm around her and leans in to whisper something in her ear. She blushes and giggles. Nadia shoots her a questioning look. Reilly winks at her before reaching over to turn the light off. The moment it’s dark and the rest of the group is enraptured by the movie, David’s lips dive for Nadia’s neck. He nips and sucks at her skin. She sighs and turns toward him. David pulls away, barely letting his lips touch hers.

“You’re terrible,” she breathes. He grins. “Will you let me watch the movie?”

David’s fingers snake up her thigh and beneath her skirt. Nadia does her best to control her breathing, thankful that the room is almost pitch black and nobody can see the dark crimson that’s creeping up her chest and cheeks. His fingers slide into her panties, teasing her and keeping the pressure light. She can barely hear the movie over the sound of her own blood roaring in her ears. David leans in, tongue flicking against her earlobe.

“I can hear your heart beating, you know.”

“I wonder who’s fault that is?”

He growls as his fingers begin to circle her clit. Her body is on fire and she tries not to grind her hips against his hand. David brings her right to the edge before her thighs slam shut on his hand. She’s not giving him the satisfaction of doing this to her, even though she wants it so badly she thinks about throwing caution to the wind and taking him right here. He stills his hand and laughs, smokey and soft in her ear. Sometimes it feels like he can hear exactly what she’s thinking.

“You’re so pretty when you’re all riled up. It’s so easy…”

“Fuck you,” she hisses.

“There’s an idea.”

Before Nadia can answer, she catches Marko slipping off of his chair, grinning at her. 

“I’ll give you two some privacy.”

She flushes and looks down, embarrassed. David smiles, his eyes twinkle with mischief.

“Thanks, bud.”

Marko bounces over to the floor and practically body slams Dwayne into the wall. In retaliation, Dwayne wraps him in a headlock and gives him a noogie. Marko yelps and the group breaks out in soft giggles. While everyone else is distracted, David reaches up and cups Nadia’s face with both hands, placing a bruising kiss against her lips. She squeaks softly as he pulls back and stares at her like there’s nobody else in the room. At first she feels self-conscious but quickly gets lost in his beautiful eyes. She can see how easy it was for her to fall for him. He has this amazing ability to make her feel like she’s the only person in the room. She wonders if he’s always been this way, or if he developed this ability over time. Nadia has the feeling he would rather be alone with her, and anywhere else but here. 

“You can be really sweet, you know,” she breathes.

“It’s a lot of effort -- hey, check it out.” He gestures at Reilly and Paul on the bed, who are now joined at the lips and barely focused on the movie. “I think you accidentally made a love connection.” 

Nadia sighs. She’s not sure what Reilly is going to tell Mick, but that’s definitely a Reilly problem. Maybe she’ll do that thing where she juggles two guys until it all blows up in her face. Part of her envies her best friend. Nadia can barely handle David and she has no idea what they actually are, or how she’s going to introduce him to her parents -- or _if_ she’s going to introduce him to her parents. If she turns, will she ever get to see her parents again? The question makes her stomach clench and her heart sink. There’s still so much she has to ask David. 

Marko and Dwayne glance up at Reilly and Paul, giggling as they crack open more beers. Marko holds up two more cans and wiggles them in David and Nadia’s direction. David nods and catches both of them as they sail through the air in a perfect arc. He hands one to Nadia.

“I haven’t had the chance to open my first one,” she laughs. “You’re just so distracting.”

“I’ll let you get a little more liquored up before I get back to work.”

“You like me liquored up?”

David leans in to kiss her again.

“It worked so well at Hudson’s Bluff.”

“Hmm.”

He lets her watch the rest of the movie in peace (mostly). The group drinks the rest of Reilly’s beer while she’s busy sitting in Paul’s lap sucking face with him. She takes the odd break to glance over at Nadia and giggle. Once the credits roll, David squeezes Nadia tightly against him and whispers in her ear.

“Let’s go.”

“Go where?”

“Beach. We can talk.”

“Okay.” She looks over at Reilly, who is practically dry humping Paul. “Is she going to be okay?”

“She’ll be fine,” David whispers. “He’s already fed. He’ll show her a good time.”

Nadia rolls her eyes and David laughs.

“Nadia. He’ll be good to her. We’re not total monsters.”

“Strangely, that’s not the least bit comforting,” Nadia mumbles.

He grabs her hand and helps her stand up, his eyes fixed on Marko and Dwayne, who slowly climb to their feet with huge smiles on their faces. Nadia’s eyes bounce between the three of them. She looks up at David, eyes wide and filled with confusion.

“What’s going on?” 

Dwayne lights a cigarette while Marko shrugs his jacket back on to his shoulders.

“Boys?” David announces. “We’re heading out.”

Reilly and Paul manage to tear themselves away from each other for a beat. She runs her hands up Paul’s chest.

“You’re not leaving too, are you?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart,” Paul whispers. He looks up at Nadia and the others. “I’ll see you guys later.”

They nod and the boys step into the hallway. Nadia lingers behind, her eyes locked on Reilly, who can barely contain the massive, shit-eating grin on her face. Nadia glances at Paul and narrows her eyes.

“Be good to her.”

It’s a futile attempt to exert her authority as Reilly’s best friend.

“Don’t worry, Nadia. She’s in excellent hands.”

Reilly giggles and bites her thumbnail. It’s the first time Nadia has seen her friend truly speechless and smitten. Even around Mick she maintains her characteristic crassness and harsh personality, but Paul has turned her into a tittering, sheepish school girl. Despite Paul and David’s reassurance, something in Nadia’s gut doesn’t feel right. She wouldn’t be able to explain it if she tried. It’s just a feeling that sits in the pit of her stomach, gnawing at her. Before she can say anything, David taps on the doorframe, smirking at her.

“We don’t have all night, sugar,” he purrs. 

“Call me tomorrow,” Nadia whispers to Reilly. She winks in response as Nadia shuts the door.

&&&

The moment they’re alone, Reilly climbs on to Paul’s lap and pushes his jacket off of his body. He’s so fucking hot. She can’t really explain this animal attraction to him. He’s gorgeous, and when she looks into his eyes, something takes over that she can’t quite explain. She feels drunk despite not taking a single sip of her beer. The feeling is nice. She’s out of control and in control at the same time. Paul’s baby blue eyes sparkle as he smiles at her.

“Fuck, I thought they’d never leave,” she breathes.

He laughs as her mouth covers hers and his hands snake beneath her shirt to cup her breasts. Reilly groans softly against his lips as Paul rolls his hips upward. She can feel his cock straining beneath his jeans and buries her hands in his gorgeous blonde hair as she kisses him. It’s softer than she expected. Cleaner, too. The four of them look grimey, but Paul smells amazing - like fresh soap and cologne. He tastes like cheap beer and something sweet that Reilly can’t quite put her finger on. When her hands slip beneath his mesh t-shirt, he breaks the kiss and lifts his arms to help her tear it off of him. His body is more toned than she would have expected. It’s hard to see what he looks like underneath the jacket and the dark shirt. Paul’s lips curl into a soft smile and his eyes rake up and down her body.

“Your turn.”

Reilly willingly sheds her t-shirt and her bra, tossing them behind her, breath shuddering at the way he looks at her naked torso for the first time.

“Shit,” he whispers. “You’re fucking hot.”

“I should tell you something,” she says softly.

He raises his eyebrows.

“You’re a virgin.”

She laughs, loud, and covers her mouth, shaking her head. Paul’s face breaks into a wide smile.

“God, no. Ugh, can you imagine?”

“There’d be a learning curve,” he laughs.

“I thought guys like virgins.”

He shrugs.

“Marko does. I prefer a chick who knows what she’s doing.”

“Marko is…?”

“The other blonde one -- who totally wants to bone you, by the way.”

“I see,” Reilly chuckles as she tucks her hair behind her ear. Paul reaches up and grabs her wrist to pull it back and fix her hair so that it delicately frames her face.

“I like it messy like this.” She smiles and blushes. Paul lifts her chin and runs his thumb across her bottom lip, smearing with little lipstick is left on her mouth. “What did you want to tell me?”

“I’m sort of… seeing someone.”

Another shrug.

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, huh?”

Reilly nods. She feels a twinge of guilt. She likes Mick, but being with him doesn’t feel quite like this. Paul was making eyes at her the whole time they were in the restaurant, and the moment they looked at each other, she couldn’t stop staring at him. She didn’t want to. Paul’s hands run up her thighs and he begins to unbutton her jeans slowly. For the first time in a long time, Reilly finds herself speechless. This never happens. Most of the boys she’s been with aren’t very good at sex, especially the foreplay part. Usually, it’s about 45 seconds of fumbling around in her underwear before they ask if she’s ready. It’s always a disappointment. She has a feeling that this time, it’s going to be different. Reilly slides off of the bed and pulls her jeans off, leaving her clad only in her panties. Paul toes off his boots and shimmies out of his pants, allowing his erection to spring free. He’s big. Her eyes go wide and he laughs.

“You all right?”

She stammers.

“Uh-huh. Yeah. Great."

He beckons her over to him and Reilly gulps. 

“Lie down,” he breathes.

She obeys, her heart in her throat. Paul immediately runs his hands up her thigh, massaging her to make her more comfortable. He peppers her face and neck with gentle kisses and she breathes deeply, squashing her nervousness. It’s not like this is her first time, but it’s her first time with someone clearly more experienced than her. She wants to make a good impression - she also definitely wants to have sex with him again, or maybe see him again in any other capacity. Reilly tries to shove the feeling away, but it keeps springing up in the back of her head. Paul’s lips ghost down her throat, her torso, and flicks his tongue gently across her hip bones. Reilly looks down, face flushed, into his beautiful blue eyes. He licks his lips as he locks eyes with her and drags his fingers up her thighs.

“Can I?”

She nods vigorously.

“Please.”

He dives between her legs, flicking her clit gently with his tongue. She grips the edge of the bed and moans beneath him, rolling her hips upward when he reaches the speed and angle that she likes. He learns fast, but takes his time bringing her right to the edge. She sighs his name softly, letting her fingers dance through his hair. Paul seems to enjoy himself as he slides a finger inside of her aching cunt. Reilly moans.

“More.”

“Yeah?”

“Uh-huh.”

Two fingers, and then three. He massages her walls as he sucks on her clit and brings her right over the edge. She cries out, gripping his hair with one hand, hips grinding against his mouth.

“Oh my God, Paul,” she whimpers.

He looks up, continuing to fuck her slowly with his fingers.

“What?” He curls his fingers just to make her moan. “Tell me, baby.”

“Fuck, I think I’m in love with you,” Reilly moans.

It's a joke... sort of, but she wonders what prompted her to say it. Paul doesn't seem to give a shit. They both laugh and he lets his mouth glide up her body up to kiss her softly. She savors his mouth against hers before he breaks the kiss and sinks down her torso again. Her eyes screw shut and she sighs softly as he wraps his lips around her clit and begins to suck hard, forcing her to soar toward another orgasm. Reilly screams, back arching toward him despite the ache that pulses in her core. She pants, covered in sweat and he lifts his head. She stares at him with heavy lids.

“Fuck me.”

“Get on your knees, sweetheart,” he purrs.

Reilly scrambles on to all fours, tilting her pelvis toward him. Paul slides into her with ease, groaning softly. Reilly cries out as he stretches her. She grips the edge of the bed, almost cracking the wood beneath her grasp. 

“Fuck!”

“Relax, baby,” he whispers, dragging his lips up and down her neck. One hand reaches down to circle her clit. She begins to shake. “You’re so fucking tight.”

She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. Paul moans, loudly, as he pushes himself to the hilt. Reilly feels her eyes roll backward.

“Oh, God…”

“Fuuuuuck,” he moans. “You like that?”

“Yes,” she whimpers as he fucks her. “Don’t stop.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, chica.”

He pushes himself deep inside of her, to the point that she feels her limbs tingle and her mouth part to scream his name. The encouragement only makes him fuck her harder until she’s dropped to her elbows, whimpering and coming around him. Paul refuses to stop. He grasps her by both biceps and hauls her upright so that he’s in complete control.

“Say my name,” he grunts.

Reilly whimpers.

“Paul… fuck…”

“Am I making you come?”

“Yes.”

“You want me to make you come again?”

“Yes,” she cries out, almost limp against him. Normally, she dictates the pace and direction of the sex, but this is so much different than anything she’s experienced before. He’s made her come three times -- that she knows of. She’s more than willing to let him take control. Paul releases her arms and lets her fall down face first onto the mattress with a soft grunt. He pulls his hand back to slap her hard on the ass. Reilly cries out, her cunt clamping down on his cock as she comes again. Her whole body begins to collapse. The action makes Paul thrust even faster, fucking her as hard as he can. She screams his name again and in a few pumps, he comes with a howl and spills into her. The two collapse on the bed and Paul rolls off of her, staring up at the ceiling. Reilly immediately rolls over to wrap her arms around him and kiss him on the chest.

“Holy shit,” she laughs.

“Sorry I hit you,” he says with a small grimace.

“No! That was… that was good. Really good.”

They breathe heavily. Reilly’s body is sticky with sweat. Paul rolls over to stare at her and she becomes immediately self conscious. She’s always felt prettier with clothes and makeup on. This is too vulnerable. Usually after sex, she kicks the guy out. Even Mick doesn’t get to see her come completely undone like this - yet, for some reason, she doesn’t ask Paul to leave.

“You wanna do this again?” She asks.

“I thought you had a boyfriend.”

“He’s not really my boyfriend.”

Paul grins.

“Sure,” he laughs. He rolls onto his back and his face immediately turns into a grimace. Reilly sits up.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he grunts. "I just rolled on to something."

He rifles through the blankets and pulls out a book. It’s her copy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula that she thought she’d lost last week. Paul casts her an incredulous look.

“Seriously? You keep books in your bed?”

“I haven’t slept here in awhile,” she mumbles.

A sudden and blinding pain overtakes her, shooting from her eye socket all the way down her spine. She flinches and breathes through it. Paul quirks an eyebrow. There's no way he doesn't notice.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she laughs. "I just get migraines sometimes."

He reaches over to rub her shoulder softly. Part of her melts at the sweetness of the gesture.

“Where do you sleep?” He asks.

Reilly waits for a second for the pain to subside. It leaves as quickly as it came. She continues the conversation.

“Couch, usually.”

He’s quiet, turning the book over in his hands.

“Hey, you believe in this stuff?” He asks, flipping through a few chapters.

“You mean, English literature?” She asks, laughing at the absurdity of the question.

“No, like vampires and shit.”

“You’re asking me if I believe in vampires…”

“Yeah.”

“I mean, I think they’re cool to look at from a literary perspective.” She props herself up on one elbow. “Did you know that Bram Stoker’s Dracula isn’t actually the first book about vampires?”

“Yeah, it’s The Vampyre by Doctor John Polidori.” 

Reilly grins.

“You know your English literature.”

“Kinda,” Paul says with a shrug. “I thought everyone knew that.”

“You’d be surprised by how many people don’t.”

He puts the book down and kisses her softly.

“You’re a cool chick, Reilly.”

She flushes. 

“I think you're cool too," she giggles. "You want a beer?”

“Sure.” He buries himself in her blankets as she rolls off of the bed and grabs a six pack from the floor that the rest of the group didn't find during the movie. Paul points at the TV.

“Hey, can you put that tape in again? We never got the chance to actually watch it.”

"Sure."  
  



	10. Do I Wanna Know?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is 80% smut. Enjoy!

David, Marko, and Dwayne pull up to the boardwalk. Dwayne and Marko head for the rides while David grabs Nadia’s hand and guides her toward the beach. They pass small crowds of people dancing and partying around bonfires scattered across the beach. He takes her to a secluded spot covered in rocks and broken glass that crunch beneath her sneakers. They hop up onto one of the larger rocks overlooking the ocean and he wraps his arm around her shoulder, lighting a cigarette with one hand. Nadia looks out across the water. It’s tranquil and sparkling beneath the moonlight. These are the parts of Santa Carla she loves the most. No noise, no chaos, no bright lights. It’s just quiet. As she checks her watch, David takes a sharp inhale and blows a smoke ring. It’s way past midnight. Her parents are going to be so pissed off. 

“What do you want to talk about?” David’s soft, smokey voice interrupts her thoughts.

She scoffs and laughs. Where does she start?

“How about everything?”

“I’m an open book.”

“Somehow I doubt that.”

He chuckles.

“Why are you giving me such a hard time?”

“Like I said back at the diner, you deserve it.”

His mouth twitches.

“Why? Because I thought you were pretty and I wanted to --”

“Turn me into a vampire?”

He’s quiet. Nadia sighs.

“David, I don’t really know what’s going on or why you picked me, but you seem to like me, and I…”

David leans in ghosts his lips up her neck, tongue flicking against her skin like lightning strikes. Nadia shivers beneath his touch. He chuckles, dark and low. 

“And?”

“I wasn’t joking on the bridge when I told you I liked you.”

“I know,” he purrs. “I like you too.”

“Is that why you turned me?”

He grasps the sides of her face and presses his lips against hers.

“Sure.” Before she can protest, he flicks his cigarette into the water and kisses her deeply, his tongue sliding against hers. Her eyes flutter closed just as he pulls away and ghosts his lips up her jawline. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“I just have a lot of questions.”

He pulls back, sighing, and runs a hand through his hair. For a vampire, he seems to have a one-track mind. He lights another cigarette and passes it to her after taking a long inhale.

“Shoot.”

“Am I going to accidentally hurt someone?”

“If you don’t feed soon? Yes.”

Nadia watches the cigarette burn before taking a small, delicate inhale. The thick smoke makes her feel sick and she passes it back to him. 

“How soon?”

“Like I said before,” he drawls. “It’s different for everyone.”

“Can I still live with my parents if I turn?”

“Not unless they black out every window, or you stay in your bedroom.”

She curses under her breath.

“Do you realize how difficult you’ve made things for me -- like, immediately?”

She’s indignant. There was no discussion, no conversation about any of this. All of a sudden she’s been thrust into this world that she doesn’t know with rules she doesn’t understand. Nadia buries her head in her hands and sighs. She’s caught in a web of endless chaos. The pressure to make a decision has never felt so awful. Nadia feels torn between this boy she really, _really_ likes despite her misgivings about him, her innate desire for freedom, and not wanting to change anything about the way she’s living right now. For the first time in her life, she’s free and comfortable - for the most part, at least. 

“Come and live with us,” he suggests.

Nadia laughs. The prospect is outrageous, hilarious even. Her parents would freak out, send cops and maybe the military to find her. Part of her still isn’t even sure that all of this is real even though she’s seen it with her own eyes. She bites her lip and looks out at the ocean. His eyes are scanning every feature on her face with an intensity that makes her flush and feel very insecure. 

“David, this is moving awfully fast. I’m supposed to go to NYU in September.”

How much does she have to give up? Sunlight, her career, her social life, the house she grew up in… Reilly? David grabs her chin and kisses her softly. She catches a glimpse of his boyish charm and it makes her melt against him.

“Or we can take things slow.”

“David…”

He raises his eyebrows, a small but devilish grin playing on his lips.

“Nadia…”

“Why did you pick me?”

“I see something I want, so I take it,” he growls. “Simple, really.”

“That’s not an answer.”

At first, he seems annoyed by her persistence. He swallows hard, ghosting his lips across hers.

“You looked like you needed a change,” he says softly. “Something different.”

“And you thought you could be that,” she whispers.

His hands snake up her bare thighs.

“Yeah. What do you think?”

“I’m gonna need some time,” she whispers.

“I can give you that,” David breathes as his fingers ghost along her soft skin. “Not too much time, though.” 

She moans, feeling him push her backward. One hand glides up her black t-shirt to cup her breast while the other slides higher and higher up her thigh. Something sharp hits her right in the spine and she winces. David immediately backs off, a frown on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“The rocks,” she hisses. 

“Here.” He rips his jacket off and drapes it over the rocks behind her while climbing on top of her. “How’s that?”

“Better,” Nadia shudders.

David slips his gloves off of his hands and places them to the side. He’s like a magnet. Mysterious, beautiful, and still untouchable despite the fact that his cold hands are gliding up her skin. She has no idea what kind of future awaits her. 

“You’re so warm,” he mumbles against her lips. She hesitates as his mouth presses urgently against hers, her mind still reeling with questions and confusion. David runs his thumb across her clit - the action is so swift that if she weren’t already very aware of where his hands were headed, she might have missed it. She sucks in a deep breath, pulling away and staring at him with wide brown eyes. He chuckles. 

“You think too much, Nadia. That’s your problem.”

His fingers dive beneath the soft fabric of her panties. He teases her clit slowly, making small, slow circles _around_ it, but never touching the head. Nadia whines. She can feel her whole cunt flaring and swelling beneath his touch. An ache begins to pulse deep within her. Hips roll upward toward him as though they have a mind of their own and she moans, relishing the tiny pulses of lightning that shoot through her whole body.

“What else am I supposed to do?” She whines. Honestly, she’s amazed she can still hold a conversation. He’s so good at reducing her to a quivering, whimpering pile of goo.

“Relax,” he rasps as he speeds up the pace of his fingers. “You’re so wound up all the time. It can’t be good for you.”

“Hard not to be. You don’t exactly make things easy.”

He lets out a soft, dark chuckle.

“Mmm. Do I rile you up?”

“Y -- Yes,” she sputters.

“You like it, though.” A sob escapes her throat as he thrusts two fingers into her aching pussy. Nadia gasps, her body arching toward the sky. Her cheeks are bright pink, pupils large, and she bites down hard on her bottom lip. David leans in to tug on her earlobe with a bared fang. It feels like a small razor slicing into her skin. Her whole body begins to tingle. “Tell me you like it.”

“I like it,” she whines. 

“I could do this to you for hours, sugar. Do you know how hard it makes me to watch you fuck my fingers? Or to think about how _good_ you taste?” He grins as her body twitches beneath him and kisses her softly. 

_Fuck._

He continues, egged on by her shuddering breaths and the redness continuing to grow in her cheeks.

“Last night after I left your place, all I could think about was your tight little cunt… the way you tasted. You were so wet for me.” He nips at her jawline. “Can I tell you a secret?”

She means to form words, but her “uh-huh” comes out as a babbled moan. He giggles.

“The first time I saw you sitting alone in the beer garden, I wanted to take you right on that picnic table. I wanted to taste you, tease you with my mouth - so slowly - until you blushed… just like you’re doing now. You’re so pretty when you blush, did you know that?” He drags his thumb across her bottom lip. “I wanted to lick you until you were _throbbing_ , begging me to fuck you. And everyone would watch.”

Nadia gulps and almost chokes. Her mouth is a desert. David purrs at the excitement in her eyes.

“You would have liked that, wouldn’t you?”

A nod. She’s not used to this kind of dirty talk. Most guys are _not_ good at it. It’s all ‘ _You like that, baby?_ _Oooh, yeah’_ followed by a lot of nonsensical cursing and talking about fucking her in positions that just don’t make logical sense. And then they come after two pumps. It’s embarrassing -- for them. Hell, she doesn’t even need creativity in her dirty talk, just someone who knows what they’re doing. 

But David is good at this. He doesn’t give a shit what he says to her, as long as it makes her moan. That’s what makes it so hot. She decides to play along for as long as she’s able to - to meet him on his level. 

“Did you come?” She manages to choke out. “Did you come th -- thinking about me last night?”

He laughs and thrusts his fingers deeper inside of her. Nadia’s eyes screw shut and she pictures him, clear as day in what looks like his bedroom. The lights are low and there are clothes and blankets strewn all over the floor. She sees his naked back, muscular and illuminated by candlelight. One palm is pressed against the wall, clawing at the stone until it snaps off and clatters to the floor. His pants rest just below his hips while the other hand furiously strokes his gorgeous cock. Precum drips onto the cement floor. He’s moaning her name as his hips stutter and every muscle is coiled and begging for release. The image gives her goosebumps. She wants him to keep talking, to describe it in bright, vivid detail. Everything about him is so fucking hot, but his voice? Shit, she could come just listening to him read the phone book. David laughs against her skin and licks a stripe up her neck. 

“I did. It wasn’t as good as the real thing, though.” He nips at her skin. “That little daydream you just had? That’s exactly what I looked like. I was thinking about everything I would do to you.”

“What would you--”

He shushes her.

“If I tell you, it’s no fun, is it?”

Nadia begins to babble nonsensically as his hand speeds up. She feels like she’s dying, unable to get a solid breath into her lungs. Her body is on fire and his voice only serves to make her skin hotter and hotter until she feels like she might explode. She releases a pained sob and covers her face with both hands, moaning into her palms. David pries her hands away from her face and kisses her while he continues to thrust in and out of her with his fingers. He purrs.

“Let me look at you.” Her eyes lock with his and his hand speeds up, thumb reaching up to circle her clit. Nadia’s heart races. Her throat is tight and goosebumps begin to rise on her skin. Her muscles are coiled and clenched as an electric current runs up and down her body. It’s pure bliss. No boy has ever done this for her before and she’s desperate for this feeling to last forever. She’s throbbing and soaking around him. Her heartbeat feels like a jackhammer against her ribs. David takes notice of her immense willpower and a wide smile begins to creep across his face. “Come for me, Nadia..”

She begins to cry out at the empty sky, her voice breaking as she begins to crumble around him. It feels like she’s flying. She sees spots and her eyes roll back while David sucks a dark hickey onto the side of her neck, snarling and growling against her. In one quick motion, before she has the chance to come down, he flips them over so that she’s straddling him and reaches down to unbuckle his pants. His cock is thick and rock hard. Nadia reaches out with a trembling hand to touch it gingerly. The gesture is met with a low growl that originates deep in his chest. She looks up to see amber eyes and bared fangs. Nadia gasps. 

“Do I scare you?” He snarls. 

“A little,” she confesses. A sudden burst of confidence makes her reach up and twirl her hair around her finger. “Does that make you hard?”

Her voice isn’t as sultry as she would like it to be. The question comes out as more of a timid squeak than anything else, but David’s eyes fill with lust and he nods slowly. Arousal pools in the pit of her stomach. 

“Take off your shirt,” he orders. Nadia obeys, slowly peeling it off of her body and casting it to the side to rest next to his gloves. He doesn’t seem satisfied. “Bra, too.”

She whips it off and tosses it behind her, eyes going wide as she hears it land in the water below. She laughs, covering her mouth with both hands. David chuckles.

“I’ll buy you a new one.” 

He pushes her panties to the side, picks her up, and lowers her onto his cock. Nadia’s body is still reeling and trembling from her first climax and she lets out a sob as she collapses on top of him. David grabs her just beneath her thighs, fingernails digging hard into the soft pillowy flesh. He lifts and lowers her onto him until instinct takes over and she begins to do it herself. David moans softly and closes his eyes. It’s the happiest she’s ever seen him and they establish a comfortable rhythm, but she can tell he wants more. His hands glide up her body, fingers pinching her nipples and tugging on them until pleasure mixes with pain and she keens. Her head falls back, hips buck faster, and she feels herself coming again. It’s intense and blinding. Her vision goes black for a second and it sounds like her voice is being torn from her throat as she howls his name into the darkness.

“David! Fuck -- Dav --”

He flips them over - again - taking extra care not to let his cock slip out of her. She’s burning, slick, and pulsing for him. She’s definitely soaked his jacket, she thinks. There’s definitely a wet spot just above her lower back. It takes her a second to realize that she’s still coming. Her body twitches and her fingers reach up to grasp the thin fabric of his t-shirt. She needs something to anchor herself, just for a second. David refuses to give her the opportunity and rips her hand away, pushing it above her head and holding it there. His hips work slowly, fucking her through her tightness. Her thighs are slick with a mixture of sweat and her own wetness and she gasps again. David whispers against her earlobe as he fucks her.

“That’s a good girl,” he purrs. “ _Fuck_ , you’re so tight for me.”

His head dips and he thrusts his fangs into the side of her neck while his hips collide with hers. Something in her brain snaps. Blood roars, rushing into his mouth. She can feel him draining her and filling her simultaneously. When she comes again, it’s like a thunderclap. Her fingernails sink into his back, legs wrap around his waist, forcing him deeper. David’s body gives in and he fucks her brutally and viciously while he drinks. Nadia’s face feels damp and at first, she thinks it’s sweat, but quickly realizes that the wetness is coming from her eyes. She’s crying - sobbing, actually - beneath him - and coming. It’s all at once. It’s too much. But she doesn’t want it to stop. 

The skin on her throat tears and blood drips onto her face. She doesn’t care, she’s too focused on him as he raises up, throat bared and muscles carved out by the light of the moon. With a mixture of lust and fascination, she watches him come. His voice is raw and hoarse - howling, but not quite. His hips slam violently into hers. The action threatens to break her, but just when she thinks about telling him to stop, his body stills completely. She can see the muscles in his chest and arms quivering beneath his skin. Nadia looks up. David’s eyes are squeezed shut and his mouth is open in a silent scream. She can feel him emptying himself into her and with a devilish grin decides to move her hips slowly up and down, pulling the last of his climax out of his body. David whimpers. His eyes pop open and the heat from his gaze makes her flush. Her hips threaten to still and he shakes his head slowly.

“Don’t - you - fucking - _dare_ \- stop,” he rumbles.

Nadia giggles, delirious from her seemingly endless orgasms, and moves her hips even slower. David shudders on top of her and dips his head to press his bloodied mouth against hers. Nadia devours him. She can’t kiss him hard enough. Her hips speed up and within seconds, they’re both coming again - they snarl, pant, and moan against each other’s mouths like feral animals. This climax is just a little weaker but she digs her heels into his hips and presses him into her just to feel him come deep inside of her. Nadia holds him there with her legs as his body trembles and he _finally_ gives in and collapses. His breath is hot against her skin. Just before he rolls off of her, he laps at the wound on her neck and she feels it close. 

David’s body tumbles to the side and he pushes his hand through his hair as they both pant and try to work through what the fuck just happened. Nadia’s skirt is rumpled and pushed right up to her waist. As she lifts her head and tries to smooth it out with her hands, she sees a white smear against the dark fabric and curses under her breath. David turns to look at it and begins to laugh. She glares at him.

“You can wear my jacket.”

“Won’t you be cold?”

“We don’t feel cold, sweetheart.”

“Huh.”

He buckles his pants and lights another cigarette.

“You hungry?”

“Yeah,” she laughs. “Starving.”

“I know a good pizza place.”

“I could do pizza.”

“Me too.”

He helps her up and grabs her t-shirt, helping her slide it down her shaking arms. His jacket drapes over her shoulders and she slides her arms into the sleeves. David takes a step back to admire her.

“You almost wear it better than I do.”

“Fat chance,” she mumbles.

David laughs and helps her off of the rock, taking care to ease her onto the ground. Nadia’s legs are still shaking but begin to recover once they start walking. He takes her to a pizza place just off the boardwalk. It’s dingy and small, but the staff are sweet. They sit in a booth near the back where they devour two enormous pizzas and at least four milkshakes. The hunger in the pit of her stomach seems endless, but eventually, she feels like she’s going to throw up and slumps against the seat. David jams the last of his pizza into his mouth and drains his milkshake.

“Do you technically need to eat?” She asks, wiping her mouth with a napkin. He shakes his head.

“We just like the taste.”

She belches and covers her mouth, blushing. David chuckles.

“You don’t have to be a lady around me, Nadia.”

“Force of habit,” she mumbles. She checks her watch. “Fuck. I should go home. My parents are already going to be pissed.”

David nods and slams a wad of bills on the table.

“Sure. Sun’s gonna be up soon.”

“Do we have enough time?” Nadia asks as they slip out of the booth. David turns to her with an incredulous look on his face.

“Yeah,” he scoffs. “I’m a great driver.”

She doesn’t have the heart to tell him that a great driver and a fast driver are two very different things. They stroll out of the restaurant and speed toward her house. The porch lights are off when David pulls into the driveway and Nadia takes a deep breath as his engine rumbles to a halt. He turns to her and tugs at the sleeve of his jacket.

“Keep it for the night.”

Nadia blushes.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I want it back, though. It really does look better on me.”

“Fuck you,” she laughs.

“Already did that.”

Nadia rolls her eyes and they climb off of the bike.

“Front door or bedroom window?” He asks as they walk toward the house. 

She can’t see any other lights on, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that one of her parents won’t be awake. There’s no way she can lie about working late. They know exactly what time the diner closes and Anne won’t cover for her. She’s cool, but she’s not that cool.

“Window’s locked.”

“That sucks for you.”

“Tell me about it.”

His hand refuses to leave the small of her back as she slides her key into the lock. When the door opens, the hallway light flicks on and her father emerges from the darkened living room. 

“ _You_ are late--” His eyes find David’s and all of the anger in his face fades away. “Who’s this?”

“Uh, dad, this is --”

“I’m Nadia’s boyfriend,” David cuts in. Nadia's eyes bug out of her head. She likes the way the word sounds... and then panic sets in. _Oh, fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. We didn't talk about this._ He continues, aware, but unphased by her internal screaming. “I'm David. Sorry we’re back so late. I was having some bike trouble.”

Her face feels hot and she suddenly realizes that David’s jacket is open revealing the white stain on her skirt. Quickly, she pulls it tightly against her body. Nadia’s dad cranes his neck to look into the driveway and his eyes light up.

“That’s your bike?!”

“Yessir.”

“A Triumph?”

“Yep. She’s a beaut, isn’t she?” He clears his throat. “Anyway, my apologies again for bringing Nadia home so late. I know she has a curfew and this doesn't exactly bode well for a first impression.”

“Oh!” Nadia’s father chirps. His demeanor has changed entirely. He went from growling, enraged grizzly to golden retriever in less than thirty seconds. “Don’t worry about it! What matters is that she’s safe.”

David plasters on what she interprets as a shit-eating grin while Curtis just sees the face of a man who deeply cares about his only daughter.

“Always.”

“Well, I’ll be off to bed. Nadia? I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Sure, dad. Thanks.”

He disappears up the stairs into the darkness and Nadia turns to David with a suspicious glare.

“What did you do?”

“What do you mean?”

“You did something. He’s _never_ that cool.”

“Humans are… easily manipulated,” David says softly. “You’ll learn to use that to your advantage.” He looks over his shoulder. Nadia notices that the sky is beginning to lighten. David gives her a quick, but passionate kiss before he turns and strolls toward his bike. The last thing she sees is a quick flash of his headlights - a silent signal goodbye - before he peels out of the driveway and back toward the cave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> David strikes me as the kind of guy who's into dirty talk idk where it came from but it seems to fit.


	11. Kids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character development and a teensy bit of smut in this chapter.

Reilly wakes up to Paul’s fingers combing through her hair. The room is dark and the static on the television sings a soft lullaby. She doesn’t open her eyes at first. His fingers feel so good, sending a warm rush through her body. The last thing she remembers was shotgunning beers on her bed with Paul and a _lot_ of making out. He’s such a good kisser - gentle, soft, and passionate all at once. When her eyes open, he’s standing above her, fully dressed. His eyes are intense and blazing into hers.

“Hey,” he whispers. “I’ve gotta go.”

She groans and sits up, rubbing her eyes.

“What time is it?”

“Almost sunrise.”

“Just stay,” she whines. “Kiss me more.”

“Sorry, sugar. I’ve got places to be.”

“Can I see you again?”

“That depends. You gonna dump that boyfriend?” Paul teases.

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Reilly exclaims, rolling onto her side. “I’m going to juggle you both until this whole thing blows up in my face.”

“I’m just teasing you, sugar,” he whispers as he presses his lips against hers. She whines, wanting more. Other than Mick, she’s never let a boy stay the night before. She pulls him on top of her, kissing him deeply. He groans as her fingers slide up his shirt. She hears him chuckle.

“What are you doing?” He asks.

Reilly bats her eyelashes and bites her lip.

“Just a quickie before you leave?”

“I’ve _really_ got to go, Reilly.” She whines, he laughs. “Meet me at the boardwalk tonight. I’ll take you out and treat you real nice.”

“That’s where my sort-of boyfriend works.”

“What’s he gonna do?” He says with a smirk. It looks like a challenge.

“Fight you, maybe.”

Paul laughs, his smile making his bright blue eyes twinkle.

“I think I could take him.” He kisses her again, biting her bottom lip and snarling. Reilly moans. “Meet me tonight after dark. By the carousel. I’ll give you that quickie you want.”

“Fuck, you’re so hot,” she laughs. “Okay. Okay, I’ll be there.”

“Fuck yeah,” he murmurs. 

He gives her one last kiss before he pushes himself off of the bed and disappears. She can’t explain it, but she feels a sudden emptiness at his departure. She had better not be falling for him - not after one night. Her body is exhausted, drunk, and her muscles ache. Reilly rolls over and falls asleep. When she wakes up again, it’s 4 pm and someone is pounding on her door. She almost rolls off of the bed, her head throbbing and she can barely see out of one eye. Grimacing, she leans against her bedpost until the sharpness in her skull fades and she has full vision again. These hangovers are getting way too intense, she thinks. She opens the door to see Nadia standing in the hallway. She’s just as disheveled as Reilly. There are hickeys all over her neck and she’s still wearing the same shirt she had on last night. Reilly begins to laugh.

“You look like you went to hell and back last night,” she mumbles, lighting a cigarette. 

“Is Paul still here?”

“No,” Reilly mumbles. “Come in.”

Nadia pushes past her and flops onto the bed.

“I was going to call you, but you weren’t answering.”

“Now you know how it feels.”

“Fuck you,” Nadia mumbles. “What did you do last night?”

Reilly raises an eyebrow.

“What did _you_ do last night?”

The girls stare at each other for a long time before both of them burst into spontaneous laughter, leaning on each other. Reilly props herself up on her elbow and offers Nadia a cigarette.

“I need to know,” Reilly says. “Where did you go and how was it?”

“The beach and it was --” Nadia sighs. “I can’t even begin to describe it. He’s incredible.”

Reilly leans in, grinning.

“So, can I ask how big it is now?”

Nadia blushes and hides her face in her hands. 

“God, you’re the worst.”

“Tell me!”

She’s just curious. Maybe they can compare notes. Nadia looks up, a huge grin on her face. There’s a twinkle in her eyes that Reilly has never seen before. She looks so happy. It’s nice to see. Nathan was such a piece of shit to her all through their relationship. He wasn’t mean or cruel, just dismissive, aloof. He cared more about football practice than he did about anything she wanted. Nadia knew all of his favorite songs, his favorite spots to hang out in Santa Carla, his favorite foods. She even knew his mom’s birthday. She’s a good girlfriend and a good friend. He didn’t deserve her. Ever. Reilly never wanted to say anything because she always made things look like they were fine - not great, but fine. But one conversation with her and Reilly could see that it was already falling apart. If David makes her feel like this, then he can stay. 

Nadia snickers.

“It’s huge.”

“Somehow I knew that’s what you were going to say,” Reilly chuckles.

Nadia bites her fingernails.

“Did you and Paul…?”

“Oh yeah,” Reilly laughs. “He’s huge too -- maybe they all are.”

“We’re not fucking all of them,” Nadia warns.

“You’re not. I’ll give it a good try. The little one wants to fuck me too.”

“Marko?”

“Is that his name?”

Nadia shakes her head and rolls her eyes to suppress a smile.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“Thanks. I’m seeing him again tonight, by the way.”

“Paul?”

Reilly nods and Nadia shoots her an incredulous look.

“Seriously?”

She notices a nervousness in Nadia that makes her raise an eyebrow.

“What? You don’t think he likes me or something?”

“No!” Nadia exclaims. “Not at all. I mean, look at you.”

Reilly blushes and smiles. 

“Are you seeing David tonight?” She asks, changing the subject.

“I don’t know,” Nadia confesses. “He took me home and just kinda left.”

“That’s shitty.”

She shrugs. Reilly knows when her best friend is putting on a front to hide the fact that she’s actually upset. She thinks she’s being subtle, but her whole body gives her away. She becomes slouched and deflated like she’s just gotten the wind knocked out of her. It’s so dramatic, but at least it’s easy to read. Reilly never has to guess what she’s thinking. She elbows Nadia gently.

“You wanna come out with me and Paul? Your boyfriend might be there.” Nadia seems to flinch at the word ‘boyfriend’ which instantly makes Reilly press her further. She leans in close to Nadia’s face, suppressing the urge to laugh as her best friend grimaces. “What’s going on? Did he say something? Something related to the word boyfriend?”

Nadia sighs.

“He met my dad last night.”

Reilly’s jaw drops.

“Oh my God! What?!”

“Yeah. My dad was pissed when I got home and David was so cool about it. He said ‘It’s cool, I’m her boyfriend’ and then started talking about his bike and my dad got - well, you’ve seen my dad around cars and shit like that.”

“Yeah, it’s like his whole personality.”

“Basically,” Nadia agrees, blowing a smoke ring.

“How’s that feel? The B word.”

Nadia shrugs and laughs. She’s blushing. She never blushes - not this hard, at least. This guy has really done a number on her.

“I think it was just to get my dad off of my back. We didn’t get a chance to talk about it, really. He left pretty fast.”

“Uh-oh.”

“No! It wasn’t a bad thing, he just had to go.” Nadia chews on her thumb nail. “What time are you meeting Paul?”

“After dark. You can get ready here if you want.”

“I don’t have any clothes,” Nadia mumbles.

“You left a dress here.”

Her eyes go wide. 

“The short black one?! I’ve been looking for that one for ages!”

“It’s in the closet,” Reilly says. “I washed it for you.”

Nadia throws her arms around Reilly and kisses her on the cheek. Reilly grins.

“You’re the best.”

“I know,” Reilly quips.

They have to take turns getting ready in her bathroom - well, it’s more like a closet. Reilly showers quickly, douses herself in vanilla-scented lotion, and dries her hair in the living room while Nadia showers after her. As Reilly tips her head upside down to start drying her roots, she hears Nadia yelp and turns the hair dryer off to knock on the door.

“You okay?”

“You used all the hot water!” Nadia whines.

Reilly rolls her eyes. 

“Oh, stop being such a baby!” She shouts. “Come on, we’ve gotta get going!”

She hears shampoo bottles clattering followed by swearing as she finishes drying her hair. The girls do their makeup in the living room. Nadia seems frustrated and swears under her breath about not being able to get her eyeshadow right, but when Reilly offers to help, she turns away and quickly shuts the tiny compact she’s using and insists that she’s fine. They help each other dress. Reilly wears an old Motorhead t-shirt. At first, she tucks it into her jeans, but Nadia has the brilliant idea of cutting off the bottom part so that it shows off her stomach. Reilly looks up at her, laughing.

“This is Mick’s.”

“Oops,” Nadia says with a shrug. She puts the scissors away as Reilly bounces into the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror. It’s a good look now that she’s all put together. Her hair is perfectly teased and she looks cute, but not like she’s taking this night too seriously. When she turns around, Nadia has wiggled into her dress. She looks amazing. Her hair is piled high on top of her head, held in place by a thousand bobby pins, hope, and a hell of a lot of hairspray. There are a few loose tendrils framing her face. Her face is bright and glowing and there’s a swipe of blue eyeliner beneath her eyes. Reilly leans in the doorway, smiling.

“You look great.”

“Yeah?” Nadia asks as she nervously tugs at her dress. “I feel like this is too tight. Is it too tight?”

“Nah. He’ll love it. Throw my leather jacket over top of it if you’re self-conscious, though.”

“I’m not self-conscious, I just feel like you can see everything.” She turns around and looks behind her, trying to make sure that the back of the dress looks okay. “Are you sure?”

“Totally sure. Do you need shoes?”

“Yeah. I wore my sneakers here.”

“Grab my black boots from the closet.”

They’re small, delicate chelsea boots that Reilly’s mom wore in the 60s. She always told Reilly that she saw her first Beatles concert in them. Nadia nods and shoves her feet into them, wincing at how tight they are. They’re cute. Vintage. The girls head out just as the sun begins to set.

The energy in the air is electric. Reilly and Nadia practically skip to the boardwalk, giggling and shoving each other as they share a joint. It feels good, freeing. These are the moments when Reilly forgets her responsibilities - her job, the intense pressure of school, her parents' constant bickering over who gets the house, the car - who gets her. That’s the part she hates the most. It’s the part she tries not to think about. Nadia knows, but doesn’t ask about it. Reilly appreciates it. The joint numbs the sharp edges of her darkest emotions and replaces them with euphoria. She doesn’t care if it’s manufactured, as long as it’s there to carry her through the rest of the night.

When they get to the boardwalk, it’s buzzing with people. The girls link arms and stroll through the crowds until they reach the carousel. All four boys stand before them. Paul and Marko are wrestling and jumping on each other while David and Dwayne share a joint and chat. 

“Hey, boys!” Reilly calls with a big grin on her face.

Paul turns and his face lights up. Marko’s jaw drops. David’s gaze is totally fixed on Nadia while the tall dark and handsome one smokes. She can’t remember his name. It starts with a D. He’s cute, though. Before she can even think, Paul’s arm snakes around her waist and he presses his lips to ner jawline.

“Hey.”

Reilly giggles, her eyes darting around the boardwalk to make sure Mick isn’t somewhere in the crowd. She doesn’t see him. The odds of them actually bumping into each other are slim, especially when it’s packed like this. Plus, she doesn’t even know if he’s working tonight.

“You’re eager,” she whispers.

“Let’s go.”

“Where?”

Paul chuckles and captures her bottom lip, tugging on it with his teeth. She moans.

“I’m gonna give you that quickie,” he purrs. “Shit, you smell amazing.”

Reilly wraps her arms around his neck.

“Thank you. I thought you were going to treat me real nice.”

“I told you that you smelled good and I’m willing to have sex with you in a dirty alley. I think that’s pretty nice.”

Reilly flushes and looks at Nadia, who is standing in front of David twirling one of the loose tendrils of hair that’s fallen in front of her face. He’s looking at her like he wants to fuck her right on the boardwalk. The dress and jacket were definitely a good call tonight. Reilly turns back and pushes Paul’s hair away from his face.

“Let’s go. Anywhere you want, as long as you treat me nice.”

Paul slings his arm around her shoulder.

“Ferris wheel? Then I’ll take you out to dinner.”

“Dinner?”

“Yeah, there’s a great chinese place by the beach.”

“Do they do dumplings?”

“I think so,” Paul says.

Reilly grins.

“Let’s go, then.”

Paul glances over his shoulder at his friends.

“See you later, boys!”

Marko and Dwayne chuckle, waving at them while David winks at them before turning his attention back to Nadia. Reilly locks eyes with her best friend and they both grin before Paul pulls her toward the ferris wheel. He slings his arm around her shoulder and lights a joint, passing it to her. She thanks him quietly and puffs on it.

“See your boyfriend anywhere?” He asks in a sing-song voice.

Reilly rolls her eyes.

“Will you stop? You can’t talk like that unless you’re willing to fill the position.”

He chuckles.

“I see how it is.”

An awkward silence nestles between them. Reilly elbows him gently in the gut.

“I’m joking, y’know.”

She sees him smirk as his eyes scan the crowd. 

“All good, chica.”

They stand in line for the ferris wheel. Paul is behind her, his hand on the small of her back. The gesture sends a warm ripple through her body. They share a cigarette, tossing the butt aside as the ride attendant ushers them forward. Paul slips his jacket off of his shoulders just before they get into the seat, draping it over their laps. Reilly flashes him a mischievous look and he winks at her.

“It’s hot out.”

“Uh-huh,” she chuckles. “Sure.”

She flushes as he sits down next to her and his bare arm grazes hers. She tries not to be too obvious about staring at what she knows is underneath that mesh t-shirt and tight pants. The ride attendant locks them in and strolls away. Immediately, Paul’s right hand dives beneath the jacket and rests high up on her thigh. Reilly smiles, feeling another rush of warmth flooding her as the ride starts and they begin their ascent to the top. He teases her through her jeans, using just the right amount of pressure to make her squirm. Her eyes close and she takes a deep breath as he leans in, dragging his lips up her neck to nibble on her jaw. Reilly moans softly as his fingers unbutton her jeans and he begins to tease her over her underwear. Her hips roll upward. The sticky heat from the air isn’t doing much to keep her from turning tomato red. She can feel her ears growing hot. Burning. Paul’s lips are cool and soothing against her skin. He flicks his tongue against her earlobe.

“You good?”

She chokes and sputters, nodding.

“Keep going?”

“If you stop, I will snap your arm in half,” she threatens through moans.

Paul tugs on her earlobe.

“Yeah? Good thing I like it rough then, isn’t it?”

A moan. She clamps her hand over her mouth to keep herself quiet. He chuckles.

“Don’t worry about the noise, sweetheart. It’s so busy on the ground, nobody would hear you, even if you screamed.”

She doesn’t have time to ask him about the rest of the people on the ferris wheel before his hand slips beneath her panties to circle her clit. Reilly almost slams her thighs together instinctively once the pad of his finger makes contact with the tender bundle of nerves. He alternates between slow, gentle circles with just the right amount of pressure and smaller quick flicks that make her convinced she’s soaked herself all the way through her jeans. She wraps an arm around him and turns to kiss him as her hips writhe against his fingers, desperate for more pressure. As they reach the top, she’s gasping and whining against him. His tongue slides against hers and he takes complete control. 

Reilly feels her climax building to the point where she can barely focus on kissing him because her body is hot and rushing with adrenaline. His mouth and hand speed up simultaneously, short-circuiting her brain and nerve endings. She’s experiencing full sensory overload just from his fingers. How is this possible? She’s had guys do this with her before, but this is so much different. Paul stirs something deep within her, something primal that’s been buried her whole life. He seems to know exactly where and how to touch her - how much pressure, how fast, how slow, and how to play with both to make her squirm. It’s like he can read her mind or something. The ferris wheel stops at the top. Paul breaks the kiss, dragging his lips along her jawline. He presses his lips to her ear.

“Come on, baby,” he breathes. “Come for me.”

His gentle purr is all she needs to hear. Her muscles clench and her thighs slam together as she comes, whimpering Paul’s name in soft whispers while he leaves bruising kisses and dark hickeys on her neck. She shakes as her fingers tangle themselves in Paul’s hair. The ferris wheel begins to descend as Reilly slumps against him and he wraps his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. Her eyes slide shut and she needs a few minutes to come back down before she lifts her head to look at him. He’s smiling at her with those gorgeous lips and fierce blue eyes. God, he’s gorgeous.

“You doin’ okay, chica?”

“Yeah,” Reilly laughs. “I’ve never ridden the ferris wheel like that before.”

“My pleasure, dollface,” he laughs. 

As the ride comes to a stop, Reilly quickly buttons her jeans before the attendant unlocks and lifts the bar. Paul helps her up. Her legs shake and he slides an arm around her waist and walks her toward the beach. 

“You hungry?”

“Yeah. Starving, actually. I haven’t eaten yet today.”

Paul chuckles.

“Well, you can eat as much as you want. I’m buying.”

&&&

David looks her up and down. She wonders why she’s so nervous. She knows what he is and yet every time they’re together, he puts her on edge, just enough to heighten all of her senses. He glances to his brothers who smirk, making her feel self-conscious. They’re not mean, just paying her far too much attention than she’s used to. She tugs at the hem of her dress. David grabs her gently by the wrist.

“You have nothing to be ashamed of,” he breathes in her ear. She smiles, relieved. David’s eyes on her seem to give her the boost of confidence that she needs. “I was hoping you’d show up tonight.”

She blushes and looks around.

“So, what’s the plan?”

“Well, Dwayne and I were going to grab a bite to eat,” Marko replies. 

Nadia arches an eyebrow.

“Like a person or actual food?”

“We could go for either at this point,” Dwayne chimes in. It’s one of the first times she’s heard his voice. It’s a lot softer than she expected. Comforting. Marko grins.

“Nadia?” A voice from behind her calls. She glances over her shoulder.

“Nathan,” she breathes. “What are you doing here?”

He’s standing in front of her in his stupid letterman jacket. She’s always hated that jacket. Beneath it is a dark blue polo shirt and black jeans. His hair is shorter than she remembers, slicked back like he’s a 1950s greaser. He’s the pinnacle of assholery. She feels embarrassed that she ever wasted this much time on him. She hears Marko and Dwayne snicker behind her. David’s hand lingers on her lower back as she turns to face Nathan.

“I was sort of hoping I’d run into you eventually,” Nathan laughs. He runs a hand through his hair. “I didn’t realize you had made new… friends.”

She knows the last words were an insult. The boys do too. Dwayne draws himself up to full height while Marko cracks his knuckles, eyes locked in a predatory glare on Nathan. He leans forward to shake David’s hand. David stares at the intruder with a menacing grin until Nathan withdraws his hand. Nadia can feel the tension building in the air. She can hear Nathan’s heart hammering against his ribcage. He’s not terrified - not yet, at least. She smells his sweat, his blood. Nadia draws in a deep breath.

“What is this?” She snaps. “What are you doing?”

“I want to talk.”

“About what?”

“About us.”

“There is no us, Nathan. You know what you did.”

She can feel David’s eyes on her. It makes her feel powerful to have his silent support. Nathan sighs.

“Please give me a chance to explain --”

“Explain what?”

She feels three small taps on her lower back and then David’s voice ringing in her head.

_Talk to him. Don’t go too far._

“Please, Nadia.”

She sighs.

“Fine.”

They walk a few feet from the carousel and Nathan leans against a railing, his eyes darting from her and back to the boys. He’s nervous, fidgety, and twitchy. She’s never seen him like this before. Aloof is his specialty. Nadia is very aware that the boys are watching every move he makes. She doesn’t want to think about what they would do if she wasn’t here.

“You look nice,” he murmurs.

She rolls her eyes.

“Cut the shit. Tell me what you want to tell me and then you can fuck off, okay?”

She’s tired of this, tired of thinking about him, of even having him as a distant memory in her life. 

“I just - I haven’t heard from you,” he says, his voice lilting into a soft whine. He does this when he’s trying to manipulate people. She sees right through it. “I left messages with your mom.”

“She must have thrown them out. I told her what a scumbag you are.”

“Nadia, please, I don’t want there to be any bad blood between us over what happened.”

She laughs loudly. 

“Are you serious? You don’t want bad blood between us when I walked in on you basically fucking Heather Robinson?”

“If your mom had given you my messages, we could have had the chance to talk and I could explain it to you.”

“Explain what?! That you’re a lying sack of shit?!” Nadia shouts. Heads are starting to turn, but she doesn’t care. Nathan silently motions at her to lower her voice. The gesture makes her want to haul off and punch his teeth in. “Oh, fuck you, Nathan! You want everyone to see you as this great guy - well, guess what? Reilly was right, you’re human garbage.”

“Reilly’s a bitch,” he spits.

White hot rage flares in her chest.

“Don’t you talk about her like that, you FUCKING ASSHOLE!” She screams as she winds her hand back and slaps him across the face. Nathan’s body goes flying across the boardwalk and Nadia instantly backs up and covers her mouth, shocked at her own strength. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the boys approach. Her eyes meet David’s. He’s grinning while Marko and Dwayne laugh behind him. Marko claps her on the shoulder.

“Good one, girl.”

Dwayne strolls toward Nathan, peeling his limp body off of the pavement. He sets him on his feet and pushes him toward David, like a cat playing with a mouse. David grabs Nathan by the collar.

“I think Nadia has made herself perfectly clear,” he whispers in a threatening tone. Nathan scowls. “You should go.”

Nathan wrenches himself from David’s grip and shoves him back. Hard. David barely moves and laughs which only serves to make Nathan angrier.

“Fuck off, man! I’m trying to talk to my fucking girlfriend!”

David springs into action, grabbing Nathan by the throat and lifting him up off of the ground. His sneakers scrape along the pavement as he struggles and grunts to break free. It’s useless. He’s choking. Marko and Dwayne grin and surround him like a pack of wild dogs. David tilts his head with a menacing snarl on his face. 

“She’s not your girlfriend.”

Nathan’s face is bright red as he gasps for air. He’s choking to death. The boys' smiles have faded away and are now replaced with terrifying snarls. Nadia’s eyes flick nervously to the security guard who is now strolling away from the carousel with a cigarette between his lips. Nobody else on the boardwalk is paying attention to what’s going on. This must be why so many people get murdered here. The moment shit goes down, people pretend they didn’t see anything. Nadia approaches David and gently puts her hand on his shoulder. He flinches.

“David, please. Put him down.”

His grip tightens. Nathan’s lips are turning blue. He pushes the poor kid right to the brink of unconsciousness before releasing him. Nathan collapses to the ground with a loud thunk and scrambles to his feet, tears leaking from his eyes. He thrusts a finger in David’s face.

“You’re fucking crazy, man!”

“Careful,” David purrs as he nonchalantly grabs Nathan’s wrist and twists it hard. Nathan cries out and drops to his knees. “Wouldn’t want to lose these.” He looks up at his friends. “Dwayne? Didn’t I tell our friend to leave?”

“Yeah,” Dwayne drawls. “I think you did.”

Before Dwayne can make a move, Nathan scrambles to his feet and sprints down the boardwalk.

“I think we found our activity for the evening, boys,” David announces.

Nadia pales and turns to him.

“You’re not serious.”

David lights a cigarette.

“It’s either this or a stranger, Nadia. We prefer to pick off assholes.”

She looks around at the three of them in total disbelief. They can’t be seriously considering this in such a public spot. It’s brazen, reckless, even. And as much as she hates Nathan, she doesn’t want him to die. What David put him through tonight is enough to keep him away forever. 

“So, what, you’re vigilante vampires?”

“Not exactly,” Marko says. “But we’re always striving for perfection.”

David laughs and Nadia shoves him backward.

“This isn’t a joke!”

He wraps his arms around her, pulling her toward him so that her body is flush with his. His eyes flash golden and she sees his fangs glistening as he grins.

“He hurt you. Don’t you want to see him pay?”

“Not like this,” she whispers.

David kisses her softly and presses his lips to her earlobe. She shivers.

“You feel it, don’t you? The monster. You’re starving, Nadia. Just give in.”

She looks over at the other boys who both shrug in response. Her whole body aches. She’s dizzy and falling apart at the seams. She wants to turn on her own terms, but it doesn’t help that David is making a very convincing argument. She remembers the party, the night she found Nathan in Toni's bedroom fucking Heather Robinson while the rest of the party raged outside. There were a few giggling girls lingering near the door. She remembers the humiliation - burning and raging inside of her, and how quickly it mixed with her short fuse. Anger swells in her chest and she tries to repress a snarl, but fails miserably. David grins, pushing her hair out of her face. He kisses her and snaps her back to reality. 

“There’s nothing wrong with what you are, Nadia. Nothing wrong with giving in.”

He makes it sound so easy. When she thinks about what Nathan did, the proposition sounds even more tempting. What’s better than revenge? She looks up at him, her lip quivering. The boys seem set on their plan tonight, and Nadia knows that she couldn’t stop them even if she wanted to. 

“Be one of us, Nadia,” David breathes. “I’ll give you everything you’ve ever wanted.”


	12. Damn These Vampires

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plot development and smut! Thanks for all of the kudos and comments on this story. I'm really liking the way it's shaping up this time. I really appreciate that you all seem to like it too :)

The three boys are brimming with nervous energy as they stalk the boardwalk. Marko and Dwayne horse around and wrestle, punching each other and trading cheap jokes. David walks in front with Nadia tucked beneath his arm. Her eyes dart around from face to face, and she prays that she doesn’t see Nathan in the crowds. She feels sick to her stomach. This isn’t how she wants to turn - hell, she isn’t even really sure _if_ she wants to turn. She looks up at him.

“I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

“You’ve gotta relax, Nadia!” Marko calls.

“Why does everyone keep saying that to me?”

“‘Cause you’re uptight,” Dwayne chimes in. David chuckles in agreement. “It wouldn’t kill you to let your hair down once in a while.”

“I don’t know if I’d call slaughtering my ex ‘letting my hair down.’”

He shrugs.

“We all do things differently.”

She rolls her eyes, ready to argue. This isn’t just a difference of opinion on a turn of phrase, this is taking someone’s life. David stops them and cups her face in his cold hands. He presses his forehead to hers.

“You don’t have much time left. You can’t feed on me forever. You said it yourself, he’s an asshole. He hurt you, he hates your friends, he never gave a shit about you. Why would you want to be with someone who cares about their own failed football career more than you?”

“I never told you that last part,” she whispers.

“I can hear every thought, Nadia. I can feel every feeling you feel.”

What a wonderful invasion of privacy, she thinks.

“Was your first kill personal?” She asks.

David doesn’t answer, his eyes merely glint in the low light and he raises his eyebrows. Nadia goes to open her mouth, but she’s stopped by a sharp, blinding pain in the middle of her chest. It’s burning hot, like a dagger passing through her. At first, she thinks she’s having a heart attack. She cries out and doubles over. The boardwalk feels like it’s spinning beneath her. David and Marko leap into action and grab her before she can hit the pavement. Nadia groans in agony, trying to get to her feet, but Marko pulls her toward his chest while David strokes her cheek.

“Breathe,” he whispers. “It’ll pass.”

“I can’t,” she snarls through clenched teeth.

“She needs to eat,” Dwayne says. 

“I’ve been _trying_ to tell her that,” David snaps. “She’s stubborn.”

Nadia gasps. The pain is sharp and intense. Marko gently shushes her and rubs her shoulders. She’d punch David if she weren’t currently preoccupied with the searing pain that’s pulsing through her. 

“Focus on me,” David whispers as he puts his hand on her chest. “Marko, hold her still.”

Marko nods. She twitches, feeling muscles clench and then soften as she stares at him. He closes his eyes. Instinctively, she breathes with him. She feels something in her chest. It’s gentle and pleasant. The burning heat turns to a warm ripple that courses through her, all the way down to her toes. The pain begins to fade and she inhales a little more deeply with each breath. Once she relaxes, David and Marko each take an arm and help her to her feet. Dwayne stares at David, slightly surprised, as though he’s never seen this kind of tenderness from his friend before. Marko pats her on the back.

“You good, girlie?”

Nadia nods.

“I think so. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. We take care of our own,” he says with a soft smile.

David wraps his arms around her and kisses her.

“You’re okay, gorgeous. But Dwayne is right, you need to eat.”

“Is that going to get worse?”

“‘Fraid so.”

Marko passes them a joint.

“This’ll help.”

David gestures for Nadia to take it. She takes a few puffs and passes it to him. The pain she just experienced quickly becomes a distant memory. The boys lead her to a railing to lean against and she looks around at them.

“What the fuck was that?”

“The thirst,” Dwayne replies, puffing on the joint. “You’re not going to hold out much longer.”

She swears under her breath. David promised. He promised that they would take things slow, he promised her time. Marko lets out a short, low whistle and gestures toward the crowd.

“I see him.”

Nadia spots Nathan taking a swig out of a silver flask. He’s swaying, his face contorted into a vicious snarl as he leans against the Whack-A-Mole booth. David leans in and presses his lips to the shell of her ear.

“Lead him to the bathrooms. Our bikes are parked there. We’ll keep a distance until you’re finished.”

She raises her eyebrows and glances at him with an incredulous look.

“You get off on this, don’t you?”

“Vampire, remember?”

“How could I forget?” She mumbles.

David chuckles and Nadia takes one final puff off of the joint before standing up straight and smoothing out her dress. She turns to the boys with a small grimace on her face.

“Do you really think this is going to work?”

“Look at you,” David laughs. “Who wouldn’t want you?”

She blushes. Dwayne and Marko nod in agreement, causing her to hide her face in the sleeve of her jacket. David grips her arm gently and pulls it down. 

“Don’t do that,” he whispers. “You’re beautiful.”

“Okay, you guys are making me more nervous.”

“You’re lucky Paul isn’t here,” Marko quips.

“Why’s that?”

“Let’s just say David would have punched him by now for making too many lewd comments,” Dwayne chuckles.

“Great.” She takes a deep breath and begins to walk toward Nathan.

“Make it quick, Nadia!” Marko yells. “We’re hungry!”

She raises her middle finger high in the air behind her to a chorus of malicious laughter. Nadia approaches Nathan with caution, watching with a strange fascination as he fights to stay conscious. This might be relatively painless for him, and easy for her. Her heart is a jackhammer, rattling her ribcage. She takes a deep breath to steady herself. Nathan’s fingers begin to relax around the flask and it slips from his hands. Without thinking, she darts toward him and catches it just before it hits the ground. She cradles it for a moment, marveling at her newfound reflexes.

“Careful,” she says softly. “Don’t want security to see this.”

Nathan’s eyes pop open and he gasps.

“The fuck’reyou doing ‘ere?” He slurs.

She instinctively screws the cap off and drains the flask. Whiskey. Cheap. Burns like a motherfucker. She presses it into his chest.

“Apologizing,” she says through a cough. That was supposed to be cool. She’s already fucking it up. 

“Ferwhat?” He mumbles. “Yer Billy Idol reject of a boyfriend trying to kill me?”

“Yeah.” She tries to keep the annoyed edge from seeping into her voice. It’s hard. He’s so obnoxious - but she has to keep up this act if she wants to keep the thirst at bay. The whiskey goes to work in her system fast, making her head a little foggy. She swallows hard and leans into him, plastering on her best flirtatious smile. Her fingers drag along the sleeve of his jacket. The leather is soft from years of wear and tear and it’s beginning to rip. He never takes care of his clothes the way that he should. Nathan looks down at her and makes a small, surprised squeak. Nausea builds in the pit of her stomach. If Reilly saw this, she’d freak out. She can’t believe she’s actually going to go through with this. Nadia swallows the sensation and bites her bottom lip in the exact way that she knows makes him weak. It works.

“I still love you, y’know,” he breathes.

“I know.” She looks behind her. David and the others are gone. When she turns back, she brushes Nathan’s hair away from his face. “I was thinking I could make it up to you?”

“Yeah?” He asks, eyes wide with hope. “What about yer boyfrieeeeennnnddd?” He laughs and hiccups. She’s not sure if he’s trying to mock David or if he’s just having trouble getting the last word out. Another fake smile spreads across her lips. 

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

He blinks. She can see his brain trying to work this out, like the world’s saddest gears on the world’s saddest bike struggling to propel a thought forward. He finally smiles.

“Yeah, okay.”

Nadia takes his hand and leads him toward the bathrooms. He’s so warm. She can feel his heartbeat. The hunger is a banshee, screeching and keening in the back of her mind. Her stomach tightens as they disappear behind the bathrooms. Nathan clumsily grabs her and tries to pull her close. She helps him out by taking a step forward and feels his clumsy lips on hers. Nadia forces a chuckle and pushes him gently against the wall. Her blood roars and her heart is beating so fast that she’s afraid she’s going to pass out before she actually bites him. Can she even bite him? She’s never felt her fangs. David never really explained to her how this works. All she knows is that she can’t control what’s inside of her for much longer. Nathan, despite being plastered, seems to sense her apprehension. He pulls back.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she purrs. “I’m fine.”

He grabs her and pulls her toward him again, placing sloppy kisses on her neck.

“Missed you.”

Something in the pit of her stomach snaps and the hunger pangs begin again. Gentler this time, but there all the same. Maybe it’s his skin on hers, maybe it’s the fact that when she inhales, all she can smell his cologne mixed with the smell of rich copper. Maybe it’s the rage that’s been trapped inside of her chest like a rabid dog stuck behind a fence, waiting for the perfect opportunity to break loose. To attack. To make him pay. She’s always had a temper.

Nadia grips the lapels of his jacket, knuckles white, and slams him against the wall as hard as she can. Maybe he’ll pass out. It doesn’t work. Before he can protest or fight back, she snarls and sinks her razor-like fangs into the side of his neck. A geyser of blood is released down her throat and she sputters before she finally gets a handle on how to drink it. Each rush of his decadent blood feels like a wave of relief and runs in thick rivers down her chin as she slobbers and makes strange, animalistic noises that surprise even her. He tastes like metal, cinnamon, and cheap whiskey. It’s perfect. It’s everything she’s ever needed. It tastes like revenge. Nadia keeps drinking. Whatever humanity is left in her is no longer arguing with what she’s about to become.

A deep, satisfied growl seeps from her chest as Nathan’s body twitches beneath hers. He’s no match for her newfound strength. His hand reaches up and weakly grasps a strand of her hair. The sensation is so gentle that it sparks a memory in her. Their first date on the beach. They sat on a rock, bought apricots from the farmer’s market and ate them as they dipped their toes in the water. It was perfect. 

She pulls back. Nathan’s complexion is grey and his eyes are rolled back in their sockets. His cheekbones are sunken and the skin around his eyes is sallow. She’s literally drinking the life from him. He gasps and wheezes, reaching for her. Pleading for her to stop. Pity, guilt, and shame become a storm in the pit of her stomach.

She can’t do this. She can’t kill him. The hunger is calm for now. She leans forward and Nathan lets out a soft “no”. Nadia shushes him.

“Run,” she whispers. 

“Wha?”

“Hit me. As hard as you can. And then run.”

“Nadia--”

“Do it!” She hisses sharply.

An electric jolt of pain in her ribs knocks her backward and she doubles over, choking. Nathan pushes her away and bolts down the beach. She frantically scrambles to her feet and instantly feels David’s gloved hand on her shoulder. 

“Where is he?!” He spits. 

Nadia turns to face him, panting and terrified. Sweat beads on her forehead. She runs her tongue over her newly-sprouted fangs and whimpers. David swishes past her and examines the spurt of blood that they left on the side of the building. He licks his finger before slamming his fist into the wall. 

“You let him get away?!” He growls.

“I didn’t let him get away. He hit me.”

She makes her voice soft and small in an attempt to garner sympathy. Dwayne and Marko appear from the shadows, their expressions grim. Marko looks like he feels sorry for her while Dwayne’s true feelings are unreadable. David whips around, his coat billowing behind him. His eyes are golden and filled with rage. Nadia stumbles backward, her lip quivering.

“You’re not _supposed_ to let him get away!”

Fear is quickly replaced by anger as she draws herself up to her full height.

“It’s not like I knew what I was doing, David!”

She hears him suppress a snarl and he runs a gloved hand through his shock of white blonde hair. His expression softens somewhat and he points behind her.

“That way?”

Nadia nods. 

“Marko, stay with her. Dwayne, you’re coming with me.”

Dwayne nods and the two take off on their bikes down the dark beach. Nadia whimpers and puts her head in her hands. The whimper turns into a sorrowful groan.

“I fucked up.”

She feels Marko’s hand on her shoulder.

“It’s okay,” he whispers.

Nadia looks up at him. His big blue eyes are filled with sympathy and he gestures to a log nearby.

“You wanna sit?”

“Sure.”

They plunk down on the log and Marko rips open a fresh pack of cigarettes. He shoves two between his lips and lights them both, passing her one. They stare out at the ocean for a while, smoking in silence. Marko is the first to speak.

“You let him go on purpose.”

“Did I make it that obvious?”

Marko laughs.

“Hey, it happens. You’ll get the next one.”

“Do you think David's mad at me?”

“Oh, I _know_ he’s mad at you,” Marko laughs. “But he’ll get over it.”

She takes a long drag on her cigarette and exhales a large plume of smoke.

“I felt sorry for him. I felt guilty.”

He nods.

“That’s normal.”

“I -- I saw something when I was drinking from him. I saw our first date on the beach.”

“You saw what would be his last living memory,” Marko says softly. “That’s also normal. Happens with everyone we kill.”

“Doesn’t that weigh on you?”

A shrug.

“After a while, you get used to it. It just becomes part of the process.”

She searches his face as he looks out across the ocean. It doesn’t seem to bother him that he’s seen so many people’s last memories. 

“How old are you?”

“Eighty-eight.”

“Wow.”

“Dwayne is a hundred, and David is two-hundred and fifty.”

Her jaw drops. Marko stares at her with a blank expression.

“You’re serious.”

He smirks.

“Deadly.”

“Nice pun,” she chuckles.

“Get used to them. You’ll be hearing them - _literally_ \- forever,” he teases, shoving her gently with his shoulders.

“I can’t wait,” she replies sarcastically, but with a big smile on her face. Marko’s eyes light up. He really is gorgeous, like he was carved out of stone and just came to life one day.

“Does this mean you’re actually going to go through with it?” He asks.

Nadia stares at him and gives a helpless shrug.

“Do I really have a choice anymore?”

&&&

She clings to Paul’s arm as they walk into the chinese food place. He picks a table near the back and orders them more food than they could possibly eat. They joke around while sharing a cigarette. Reilly smiles at him as their food arrives.

“Thanks for taking me out tonight,” she says softly.

“Doesn’t that dude take you out?” He teases, a big smile plastered across his bright, gorgeous face.

“Actually, no.”

Whenever she and Mick meet up, it’s always on his terms: at the beer garden or at her dorm. She’s never been to his place and he’s never taken her on a date. He’s never spent money on her. She’s never even met his friends, even though he talks about them all the time. When she proposes the idea, he shrugs it off. Sometimes she wonders if she’s an embarrassment. She’s five years younger than him and they don’t exactly share a lot of interests. She thinks his taste in movies are boring and pretentious. 

The few times he’s stayed the night, he declined her offer to go out for breakfast the next morning - you know, like you would in an actual relationship. When he _is_ over, he mostly just talks about himself. His goals, his dreams, his life. He never asks her how she is. Come to think of it, he doesn’t know very much about her. She always gave Nadia shit for sticking with Nathan who didn’t seem to care. Now it looks like she’s stumbled into the same bullshit with Mick. Would he even really care if he saw her with Paul?

Paul’s eyebrows knit together as he shoves a pile of rice into his mouth and sips at his beer.

“You sure this dude is worth your time?”

Reilly sighs and laughs, chewing on a dumpling.

“I don’t know anymore.”

“It sounds like you deserve someone who thinks you’re cool and wants to take you out and show you off.”

Reilly grins.

“Are you saying you want to be my boyfriend?”

Paul gags. She laughs.

“I hate that word,” he confesses.

“Me too. It sounds so high school.”

“Totally!” He pauses and reaches over to fiddle with the bracelet on her hand. “But if you wanted to hang out more and watch movies and get fingered on the ferris wheel, I wouldn’t be opposed to doing that. And more.”

He tosses her a playful wink. Reilly giggles, her cheeks bright pink.

“How charming.”

“What can I say? I’m a class act, chica.”

She grins. She really likes Paul. He’s sweet and he seems to like her. She had to chase Mick for months to get him to even notice her, but with Paul, it was so easy. Reilly bites her lip.

“I’d really like to do that stuff too.”

“Cool,” Paul whispers. He winks at her. Reilly laughs.

“Was this a long con to get me to dump Mick?”

Paul shrugs.

“I mean, his name is Mick. That’s not a name.”

“Mick Jagger.”

“I bet you that’s where he got the name from,” Paul says.

“Probably.”

She expects an awkward silence to settle between them, but it never does. Paul goes right back to eating and offers her some of his noodles, which she gratefully accepts.

“What are you in school for?” He asks.

“Right now? General studies.”

“What’s that?”

“I don’t know,” she laughs. “You sort of take everything.”

“That’s cool.”

She shrugs.

“My dad says it’s for people who don’t know what they want to do in life.”

“Who the fuck knows what they want to do in life?” He asks, chuckling. “Isn’t life for figuring that shit out?”

“That’s what I told him!” Reilly exclaims, her eyes wide.

“Is there anything you want to do?”

“I like writing,” she whispers. “But he says that’s not a real job either. He doesn’t want me to be some Jack Kerouac doing drugs and bumming around America.”

“Your dad sounds like a drag.” He swallows his mouthful of food. “No offense.”

“Most of the time, yeah -- and none taken, by the way. My parents are pretty screwed up. They love me, but they just hate each other. Makes things tough.” She chuckles softly, wondering why she told him all of this. She doesn’t open up to people often - not like this, at least. Nadia is really the only other person who knows about her family history, and that’s just because she’s been around long enough to see everything fall apart. “What about you? Do you go to school?”

Paul shakes his head.

“Not for me.”

“What do you do?”

He grins.

“Ride my bike, terrorize the locals…”

“Sounds like a good time,” she chuckles.

“It is.” He looks around the table at their demolished meal. “You wanna take off?”

“Sure,” she says. “Where’d you have in mind?”

His eyes glitter and his smile becomes infectious.

“I think there’s a dark and dirty alley near here with our names written on it -- and I _do_ owe you that quickie.”

Reilly throws her head back and cackles.

“That you do, and I always collect on my debts.”

“Good to know,” Paul whispers. 

He digs into his pocket and slams a wad of cash on the table. Reilly’s eyes bug out of her head.

“That’s a lot.”

“I like this place,” he says with a shrug. “I don’t exactly have to worry about money, chica. Let’s roll.”

He wraps an arm around her and they stumble outside. The moment they’re out of view of the general public, Paul’s mouth covers hers. The kiss is hot and intense. Reilly wraps her arms around his neck as he pushes her backwards into an alley and slams her up against the wall. His lips dive for her neck, teeth grazing the soft flesh. She moans.

“Fuck, I’ve been wanting to do this all night,” he breathes. “Are you wearing perfume? Dior?”

“How did you know?” She moans in between his bruising kisses.

Paul growls and sucks a hickey onto her neck before cupping her face between his hands. He grins.

“I’m a genius.”

She giggles.

“Does this genius want to get down to business before someone catches us?”

“I thought women liked foreplay,” he challenges.

“Paul, trust me. I’ve been thinking about the ferris wheel since we got _off_ of the fucking ferris wheel. I’m good to go.”

He unbuttons her jeans and slides a finger beneath the soft fabric of her panties. His eyes go wide.

“Shit, girl! You weren’t lying.”

Reilly shakes her head, biting her lip to hold back her smile. Paul sinks to his knees and pulls her jeans down just below her knees. Reilly watches with fascination as he rips her panties off of her and shoves them in his pocket. A jolt of electricity pulses to her cunt and her legs wobble. How is this man so hot and experienced at this shit? It’s truly incredible. He leans in and flicks his tongue gently against her clit. Reilly moans loudly before clamping her hand over her mouth and giggling. Her fingers dive for his hair so that she has something to grab on to as he licks her softly and slowly.

“Paul!” She hisses in between gasps for air. “What if someone sees us?”

“It’s pitch black,” he whispers. “Nobody’s gonna see us.”

The threat of someone catching them only adds to the excitement. Paul’s licks speed up, and he alternates between using the tip of his tongue and flattening it out. He plays with speed and pressure, keeping her on her toes and causing her to moan his name over and over again. Reilly can hear him stroking himself, hard and fast. She rolls her hips against his mouth, her thighs trembling more and more as she reaches her climax. It’s like he can sense it, and just as she’s at her peak, he wraps his lips around her clit and sucks. Hard. Reilly bites down on her hand to keep from screaming as her orgasm washes over her. It feels so good, she wants to stay here forever. With him. As she comes down, Paul stands licks his lips before diving for hers. The kiss is soft and sensual, not clumsy and pleading like the boys she’s used to - and definitely not like Mick. He pulls away and looks at her with heavily-lidded eyes.

“Turn around.” She does and hears his belt unbuckle. Paul rubs the tip of his cock against her pussy and groans softly. “God, Reilly. You feel so good.”

“Fuck, Paul, just do it.”

He laughs and grabs her by the hair, pulling her hair back.

“You want it?” He growls.

“Yes.”

“Say it.”

“Paul, _please_ fuck me before I explode.”

With a grunt, he slams into her. Reilly sees stars and her fingers claw at the brick wall. Paul’s pace is relentless, but she can feel his cock grazing her g-spot. She angles her hips back just a little more so that with each thrust, he’s hitting it directly. Her mouth drops in a silent howl. Already, she knows that she’s not going to hold out for much longer, and by the sounds of his panting and cursing, he’s not going to either.

“I’m gonna come,” he grunts.

“Please,” she begs. “Fuck, baby, please.”

He pulls her hair again, harder this time, hips crashing against hers. The pace is just rough enough to make her come again and she lets out a strangled moan as Paul’s body stills and he empties himself into her. His body shudders and jerks against hers and he holds himself there for what seems like an eternity until she feels him pull out. The sensation is strange, she feels hollow and lets out a small, sad moan. Paul laughs.

“It’s okay, chica. We’ll do this again.” He reaches into his back pocket and hands her her now shredded panties. Reilly uses them to clean herself up before tossing them into a dumpster while Paul tucks himself back into his jeans. Once they’re decent, he pulls her in for a quick kiss. 

“Good date,” he purrs.

“Very good,” she laughs. “Seems like we really ought to make this a regular thing.”

His smile is as big and warm as the sun.

“Agreed.”


	13. Beat Your Heart Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Creepy Surf Nazis get what's coming to them. 
> 
> Also David/Nadia smut! Yay!

Nadia stands and flicks her cigarette butt into the sand. David and Dwayne still haven’t returned. Marko looks up at her with confusion. 

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to go to the bathroom and clean up,” she tells him.

“I’m supposed to watch you!” Marko calls as she stands up. Nadia spins on her heel.

“Well, do you want to watch me pee?”

“That’s not really something I’m personally into, but I don’t judge others.”

Nadia laughs.

“Good to know. I’ll be right back, Marko. I swear.”

Marko stands and follows her. Nadia spins around and crosses her arms over her chest.

“I was kidding about watching me pee, you know.”

“I’m just gonna stand outside - the building, not the stall. I have zero interest in watching you pee. I swear.”

“Okay,” she laughs.

Marko takes his place outside of the bathroom while she slips inside to do her business and clean up as much blood as she can. She stares at her fading reflection in the mirror as guilt swells in her chest. Nathan’s already dead. She should have known it was futile to try and save him. She splashes water on her face and wipes the remaining dried blood from her chin. She licks the blood from her fingers and inhales sharply as the bathroom door slams open.

“Marko?”

Two drunk Surf Nazis stumble in, laughing and shoving each other. The smell of whiskey and unwashed bodies invades her nostrils and she almost vomits. The dark-haired one with the worst DIY mohawk she’s ever seen catches her eye and lets out a long, low whistle. Every muscle in her body tenses. His friend is slightly taller with fading green hair and a much softer disposition. It looks like he hasn’t been hanging out with this crowd for very long. His clothes are still relatively new and clean and he looks nervous the moment he and Nadia make eye contact. The dark-haired man grins.

“Look what we’ve got here.”

He bites his lip and his eyes darken. Nadia swallows hard. She should have just washed off in the ocean. 

“Fuck off,” she spits.

“Oh! She’s got an attitude!” He exclaims, gleeful. He licks his lips and looks her up and down. “I love a fighter.”

As he takes a step toward her, his friend looks around, nervous. He follows, despite his initial hesitation and tries to hide the terror on his face by sneering at her. Nadia clenches her fist and sees the bathroom door slowly inch open. Marko slips inside, a cigarette tucked between his lips. He grins at her as the Surf Nazis close in. Nadia feels it, the hunger. It creeps up her spine and begins to consume her. She feels her fangs descend and grips the countertop behind her so tightly that the wood snaps. The Surf Nazis' eyes go wide.

“What the fuck?” The dark-haired one whispers.

“Fellas, I believe the lady told you to fuck off,” Marko announces from behind them. “Now, I don’t see you doing that and now you’ve got quite the problem on your hands.”

The green-haired Surf Nazi practically jumps out of his skin at the sound of Marko’s voice while the dark-haired one turns around slowly.

“Oh, yeah?”

It doesn’t look like a fair fight from their perspective. Marko is a few inches shorter than both of them. 

Marko locks eyes with her and nods. Nadia knows she has no choice now. She can’t just let them off the hook, and she doesn’t want to. They’ll just find some other girl to hurt. She can’t be responsible for that. These two won’t give up. She knows these creeps all too well, unfortunately. Nadia can almost see the kill happen in the back of her mind and takes a deep breath, willing herself to do this. 

“Yeah,” Marko growls as his face transforms right in front of them. He has the same sharp cheekbones as David, but a slightly softer brow ridge. His eyes glow golden, menacing and he snarls, baring his fangs. The Surf Nazis back up toward Nadia and turn around. Her fangs are also bared and her face set in a dangerous, animalistic sneer. She leaps onto the dark-haired one without a second thought, slamming him into the floor and ripping into his flesh. Blood pours down her throat and begins to coat the laminate floor. The other Surf Nazi tries to make a run for it, but Marko is too fast. She hears bone snap, followed by a scream and an enraged howl. And then silence. She looks up to see Marko feeding on his prey. These two didn’t stand a chance. Nadia looks back down at the dark-haired Surf Nazi as he struggles and gasps for air. The wound in the side of his neck is gaping and she can see the blood gushing onto the floor. 

“Nadia,” Marko snarls. “Do it.”

“I can’t,” she sobs.

Marko walks over to her and puts a bloodied hand on her shoulder.

“You started this. It’s time to finish it. Be one of us. We’ll take care of you.”

“Marko,” she sobs. “Help me.”

“You have to do this one on your own. I’m sorry, kiddo.”

She gasps for air and sniffles before dipping her head and pushing her fangs into the other side of the Surf Nazi’s neck. He screams in pain and she winces as his last living memory floods her mind. A baby in a high chair while the dark-haired Surf Nazi screams at his girlfriend, pulling his hand back and slapping her across the face. The memory enrages Nadia and she bites down harder. Maybe this will be easy. She feels her victim’s fingers tangle in her hair in a feeble attempt to pull her off of him. She drinks until his body starts twitching and she hears a soft, rattling breath leave his body. Everything goes limp. Nadia lifts her head, her face covered in blood. She’s panting and sweating. She feels nauseous. Marko begins to applaud her from where he’s standing. 

“Atta girl! Bravo!"

Nadia falls onto her side, gasping for breath. Immediately, Marko rushes to her side and sets her head on his lap. She looks up at him, confused and pained.

“What’s happening to me?” she whines.

“You’re dying.”

She begins to cry.

“I don’t wanna.” Her voice comes out as a soft croak.

“It’ll only hurt for a second, Nadia, and then you’ll come back.” He pushes her hair away from her face. "I wouldn't lie to you."

“It hurts,” she rasps. 

Her muscles feel like they’re on fire and her body begins to convulse. Her heart is beating so fast that her chest hurts. Marko strokes her hair. As she begins to wretch and foam at the mouth, the bathroom door opens and David bursts through followed by Dwayne. Her vision is going blurry, but she hears the panic in his voice. 

“What’s going on?”

“She’s turning,” Marko says softly.

David swoops in and she feels Marko hand her off to him. David strokes her cheek softly with a gloved hand.

“Hey, sweetheart. You’re going to be fine. Just let go.”

“I don’t want to,” she weeps. The tears streaking down her face cut through the blood. "I don't wanna die."

“It’s going to make things harder if you don’t,” David whispers. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

Nadia’s body twitches and seizes up again as a sharp, fiery pain works its way through her chest and back. She can’t breathe and begins to gasp and claw at him in a futile attempt to keep fighting. Her vision blurs and she takes in a few more ragged breaths before her body goes limp, unable to fight any longer. Dwayne and Marko sit around her watching with sympathetic looks on their faces. Nadia rests her head on David’s thigh as he runs his fingers through her hair, speaking to her in a language she doesn’t understand. He begins to sound like he’s underwater and her vision goes dark as she slips into nothingness. 

Death is strange. It feels like she’s walking down a pitch-black hallway with no end. Nadia looks around and tries to lift her hand in front of her face, but she can’t see it. She begins to panic, running blindly forward. Her voice is caught in her throat and she can’t even scream for help. Suddenly, the door at the end of the endless hallway opens and bright white light floods her vision. She instinctively runs toward it until her muscles give out and she falls. Slowly, she begins to drag herself toward the door. She can hear David calling her name. 

When her eyes open, she’s back in the bathroom. She breathes like she’s just emerged from underneath the water and flails against him, screaming. David holds her down.

“Hey! Hey! It’s all right, Nadia! Chill out!”

“What’s happening?!”

“You’re alive.”

His eyes are sparkling and he’s smiling the same way he did the first night he kissed her outside of her window. 

“Undead,” Dwayne corrects him. David shrugs.

“Same difference.”

Nadia looks around. Her vision is better - sharper. Adrenaline pulses through her. She feels alive. Strong. Marko and Dwayne have gotten rid of the bodies and the pool of blood on the ground is nothing more than a faint, light pink smear. 

“I’m a vampire?”

“Welcome to the family, Nadia,” Dwayne says with a smirk. Marko beams beside him. Nadia sits up and curls her limbs into her body. She’s still shaking - okay, so maybe she doesn't feel completely alive just yet. It feels like she's just been hit by a truck. Dwayne elbows Marko.

“Let’s wait outside, bud.”

Marko nods and follows him out. Before he can leave, David stops him.

“Marko!”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for taking care of her.”

He smiles at them.

“No problem.”

As he leaves, David begins to laugh. Nadia looks over at him with a mixture of confusion and annoyance.

“What about this is funny to you?”

“Everything.”

He stands and walks over to the door, locking it from the inside. He turns and gazes at her with lust in his eyes. There’s a hint of danger that she’s never seen before. Nadia looks down at her knees as he walks over and strokes her hair. 

“I have to say, I’m impressed. You made up for letting what’s his name go.”

“You know his name,” Nadia mumbles.

“Yeah, I do,” David murmurs as he sits down beside her. She groans, exasperated.

“Are we really doing this right now?”

His icy blue eyes glitter mischievously as his lips curl into a big, shit-eating grin. It feels like he planned for this to happen. Marko definitely let those guys in on purpose knowing what was going to happen. Maybe David was already back by the time she was in the bathroom. She really has no way of knowing. Part of her doesn’t want to ask. She sighs.

“David, I told you, I didn’t let Nathan get away. He hit me.”

“You don’t have to lie to me,” he rumbles. “We’re bonded.”

His tone is soft and calm. She can’t hide the incredulous look on her face as she finally meets his gaze. His eyes are intense, yet passionate and filled with affection for her. He’s not angry, but for some reason, the anxiety in the pit of her stomach doesn’t disappear. 

“What does that mean?”

“It means we’re connected. Physically, mentally, emotionally… other things too.”

His fingers snake up her thigh. Nadia chews on her lip and glances over at him.

“So you’re telling me you can read my mind.”

“Not exactly. Just snippets - emotions, parts of thoughts, feelings. Intentions, too.”

“Where is he?”

“We took care of it,” he replies curtly as he pulls out a blood-stained flask from his jacket. It’s Nathan’s. “You shouldn’t have done what you did, Nadia.”

“What did I do?”

“Show mercy.”

David stares at her, his eyes flash amber and he begins to fiddle with the flask, turning it over in his hands.

“You risked exposing us.”

“Well, I just didn’t have the heart to rip his throat out.”

He chuckles and gestures to the dried blood on the floor.

“You’ve got something in you, princess. I just wish I was here to see it.”

“You _do_ get off on this, don’t you?”

David leans over and laps at the dried blood on her neck. Nadia can’t help but moan softly at the softness of his mouth on her skin.

“I love a woman who can tear a man to pieces.”

She laughs and smacks him in the ribs. He chuckles softly but doesn’t flinch.

“You’ve been a vampire for too long.”

“Maybe.”

“They were going to hurt me,” she says softly.

“You did what you had to do.” David reaches for her and brushes her cheek with the backs of his fingers. The gesture is small, but she leans into his touch and purrs. “Nobody’s ever going to hurt you again.”

When she looks into his eyes, the fear and anxiety of what she’s become washes away. It’s just the two of them on this dingy, blood-stained floor. David grasps her face with both hands and presses a soft and gentle kiss to her lips. Quickly, it becomes hungry and wanting. David picks her up off of the floor and carries her toward the counter, setting her down gently. Nadia moans into his mouth and he breaks the kiss to lick the drying blood from her face as he snarls and pushes her jacket off of her shoulders. She mirrors his actions and his jackets fall into a puddle behind him. Her hands snake up his shirt, fingernails softly claw at his skin. David growls and pulls back as he pushes her dress up her thighs. His finger hooks into the waistband of her panties.

“These -” he rips them off of her and tosses them behind him. “Are in the way.”

His fingers circle her clit slowly, teasing her and making her squirm. Her breathy moans make him purr softly and he nips at her earlobe. 

“Much better.” 

“David…” 

“Tell me.”

“Faster,” she moans. “Please.”

“You want me to make you come?”

“Yes,” she sobs. Her fingers are bone white gripping the counter and she does her best not to crack it in half and fuck this whole thing up. She’s not sure why his fingers feel so good. She’s had boys do this to her before and it just felt nice, but right now, her body is on fire with pleasure, muscles shake, and she’s whimpering like he’s actually inside of her. Nadia reaches down to unzip his jeans and open his belt buckle. There has to be a way to distract herself and reciprocate. She grabs him by the hips and pulls him toward her, reaching in to stroke his cock slowly. His eyes roll backward and he moans, but his fingers don’t stop. It takes all of her focus to continue to move her hand up and down his shaft. His moaning isn’t helping. His voice is gravelly, smokey, and _so_ fucking hot. She licks her lips as he looks forward, bright blue eyes burning into hers. 

“You’re so beautiful,” she whispers.

Her strokes speed up and she can feel precum beginning to drip from the head of his cock. David’s hips writhe against her hand in perfect rhythm and he smiles. It’s soft and beautiful.

“You’re one to talk, sugar.” He groans and hisses, pulling away. Nadia’s eyes go wide. “Not so fast. Jump off and turn around.”

Nadia eases herself down from the counter. David helps her pull her dress off and cups her breasts with both hands, his thumb and forefinger pinching and twisting her nipples until she gasps and almost collapses into him. She can feel her own wetness dripping down her thighs. In one quick motion, David spins her around, grabs her hips, tilts them back, and thrusts into her. They both cry out and Nadia pounds on the counter as the ache in her cunt is finally satiated. David keeps one hand on her hip while the other snakes around to the front of her body to rub her clit. He fucks her forcefully and violently, but it feels incredible. Her climax comes fast, slamming into her just as hard as David’s hips. Her legs wobble and almost give out from beneath her, but he’s right there to hold her up. He continues to rub her clit, easing up on the pressure. With one hand, he pulls her hair back, forcing her back to arch toward him. Nadia cries out as his hand travels up from her clit toward her nipple, pinching and rubbing it. The sensation is incredible and she can feel her second climax building. 

“David,” she chokes.

“You wanna come again, Nadia?”

“Yes,” she sobs.

“Good girl. You like it when I play with your tits?”

She whimpers and nods.

“Tell me, sugar.”

“Yes.”

Her voice cracks and he chuckles.

“Touch yourself.”

Her fingers find her clit and she circles it gently. Her pussy throbs at the combination of his relentless pace and his fingers twisting her nipple. Tears spring from her eyes and she gasps loudly.

“Fuck, David! I’m coming!”

He snarls and fucks her harder. She can feel her thighs beginning to tremble and her cunt squeezing his cock as she comes harder than last time. David howls and sinks his teeth into her shoulder to drink from her. Nadia screams and his pace stills as he spills into her. After a few seconds, he dislodges his fangs and the wound closes. They’re both panting and she moans softly as he pulls out of her. Suddenly, Nadia realizes that she’s completely naked and wraps her arms around her body. David chuckles as he reaches down to toss her her clothes.

“You have nothing to be self-conscious about.”

She smirks at him, pulling her dress back on. 

“Next time we fuck in a public bathroom you’re the one who has to be completely naked.”

“Sure,” he says with a shrug. “You don’t have to cover up around me. You really are beautiful.”

She laughs and tucks her hair behind her ear.

“You’re sweet.”

“Ugh.”

“You don’t like being told that?”

“Nope. Ruins my image.”

“Maybe you should get a new image,” she teases, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

“I don’t think so. I like this one.” She giggles and he gestures toward the door. “Let’s go. We’re going to go find Paul and Reilly and go to a bar. We have a lot to celebrate."

She frowns.

“David, I have to go home. My parents.”

“Don’t worry about them,” he says softly. “I’ll take care of it.”

She quirks an eyebrow and looks at him with suspicion.

“What does that mean?”

“Relax, Nadia. I’m not going to kill your parents. Just charm the shit out of them.”

“Like you did with my dad the other night when you said you were my boyfriend?”

“Exactly,” he replies.

She pauses and fiddles with the medal on the front of his jacket. It’s old and could use a good polish. It’s definitely a war medal. Her grandfather had a similar one from the second world war. Her big brown eyes look up into his bright blue ones. She bites her lip.

“Did you mean what you said that night? About being my boyfriend?”

He laughs.

“I think it’s a pretty juvenile word, but if that’s the word you want to use, then we can use it.”

“It is the word I want to use.”

He nods.

“Okay.” His head dips to capture her lips. "Let's go."


	14. Say Anything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I swear all I write is smut these days. Oh well! It's fun!

Dwayne and Marko are sharing a joint when David and Nadia emerge from the bathroom. She feels different - powerful - like she’s fresh and brand new. The air smells better. She can hear laughter ringing through the air from miles away. The lights from the boardwalk are more vibrant than she’s ever seen them. David nods at them.

“Thanks for keeping a lookout, boys,” he purrs.

Nadia looks away, bashful while Dwayne and Marko grin at them. Marko claps her on the back.

“You did good in there.”

“Are you talking about the Surf Nazis or after you guys left?”

“I’ll congratulate you on both,” Marko chuckles. He lowers his voice. “Judging by the screaming we just heard, you seem to know how to take care of David.”

Her face feels hot and she tucks her hair behind her ear. Marko laughs, sensing her embarrassment.

“It’s a compliment, sweetheart. Trust me. Most girls don’t make it past the first stage.”

“Thanks,” she mumbles.

“Where’re we going?” Dwayne asks.

David pulls Nadia toward him and kisses her on the cheek.

“To celebrate. I think we all need a drink.”

“Hell yeah,” Dwayne replies. “Paul and Reilly are back near the carousel.”

Reilly. Shit. 

She got so wrapped up in this vampire shit that she completely forgot about her best friend. Is she going to be able to hide this from her? David and the boys seem to do well, but they’re not around her for almost 24 hours a day. Is she going to be able to control herself now that she has an unquenchable bloodlust? David grasps her hand and the four of them head toward the carousel. When they arrive, Paul and Reilly are just stumbling off of the ride, laughing and sharing a flask. Reilly locks eyes with Nadia and giggles.

“Hey, girlie!” She runs over and wraps her arms around Nadia’s neck. Surprisingly, Nadia isn’t instantly overtaken with the urge to rip into her best friend’s flesh. David smiles at her. 

_ You won’t hurt the ones you love. _

Nadia blinks and turns to him as Reilly kisses her on the cheek.

_ Are you…  _

_ In your head? _ David’s voice sings in the back of her skull.  _ Yes. _

_ How? _

_ My blood. You’ll learn to tap into everyone’s thoughts eventually. It just takes time. _

Nadia nods as Reilly pulls away and stares her down with the kind of intensity that only she could possess. No matter how hard she tries to hide things from her best friend, the secret always comes out one way or another.

“You okay? You look different.”

Nadia laughs to hide the nervousness that’s pooling in her guts.

“What do you mean?”

Reilly leans in to hug her again.

“You look happy,” she whispers in her ear. 

David claps his hands and looks around at the group.

“Who wants a drink?”

“I’m down!” Reilly chirps. “Nadia?”

“Sure!” She turns to David. “Where are we going? Bar?”

“I was thinking somewhere a little more private,” David purrs.

The rest of the boys grin and Nadia’s stomach does a backflip. He means the cave. That can’t possibly be safe for Reilly. She bites her lip and looks around as the rest of the boys eye their motorcycles that are parked just a few feet away. David leans in to her and whispers in her ear so softly that no one else can hear.

“You’ve gotta learn to live a little, Nadia.”

“I have a curfew, David.”

Reilly rolls her eyes.

“Come  _ on _ , Nadia! The night is young!”

David grins while Reilly and the boys begin to chant her name at Reilly’s insistence. Nadia sighs.

“Told you I liked her,” David whispers. “She brings out the best in you.”

“I think you mean the worst,” Nadia whispers. “I really have to get home.”

David rolls his eyes and lights a smoke.

“Nadia, you’ve already broken so many of their stupid rules. What’s one more?”

She sighs. Her parents are going to be pissed, but it’s not like she  _ can _ go home - not in her current state, at least. She’d have to spend at least a few hours blocking up the windows in the house. If her parents caught her, what would she say? The truth of the situation is insane. She still doesn’t fully believe it despite the fact that she can remember the exact time and place she died. She remembers everything, the darkness, the voices, the light, and then emerging as a newly-formed monster. In just a few minutes, her entire life has changed. She knows that if she told her parents the truth, she’d be thrown into the back of the car and carted off to the hospital. What the fuck is she going to do? David grasps her gently by the shoulders. The softness in his eyes tells her that he knows exactly what she’s thinking. He cups her cheek.

“You’re going to be fine, sugar.”

There’s more to his sentence that goes unspoken. The rest of the group watches them with intense curiosity. Once David catches on, his expression immediately hardens and he sneers at her. She knows there’s someone truly gentle underneath all of that bullshit. If and when she’ll get to see it for longer than a split second remains unclear. Nadia sighs and runs her hand through her hair. 

“Okay. I trust you.”

The group shouts with delight and take off toward their bikes. David and Nadia linger behind and he dips his head to kiss her softly.

“You worry too much.”

“When are you going to stop reminding me?”

“When you learn to chill out.”

She laughs. David pushes her hair back with a gloved hand.

“Trust me, Nadia. We’ll take care of you. Everything’s going to be fine.”

“Will Reilly be okay at the cave?”

“Yep. Paul’s not interested in ripping her throat out. He’s actually quite taken with her.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” Her eyes go wide. “He’s not going to --”

“No one gets turned without my permission, and I’m the only one who gets to do it. And I can tell you right now, sweet thing, that you’re a hell of a lot of work. I’m not sure I’d want to take on another vampire right now.”

“You’re overwhelmed.”

“You could say that,” he laughs. His hand reaches down and finds hers. Their fingers intertwine. Nadia’s chest swells and butterflies form in her stomach. David grins. He knows exactly what he does to her. “Let’s go.”

They hop on their bikes and speed toward Hudson’s Bluff. The boys howl and scream as they dodge and dart in front of each other and around bonfires and packs of tourists on the beach. Nadia can hear people screaming curse words at them. They’re met with raucous laughter. Reilly laughs maniacally as her hair whips behind her, taking the shape of the wind that cuts through it. She looks beautiful. Free. Nadia smiles as David speeds up to lead the pack. Surprisingly, the bikes come to a smooth stop and he helps her off gingerly. She flashes him a sweet smile.

“Thanks for not trying to kill me this time.”

“You held on much better.”

“Practice, right?” Nadia beams.

“Exactly,” David whispers, kissing her on the cheek. “You’re learning quickly.”

They follow the rest of the group into the cave. David helps her down the rocky steps while Marko and Dwayne light the giant oil barrels. It’s brighter than last time. Nadia spots old surfboards leaned up against the rocky walls, old concert posters, while records and seashells hang from the ceiling from some fishing line. She gently fingers a fossilized starfish, twisting it to examine it in the light. Dwayne creeps up behind her and puts a hand on her shoulder.

“His name is Oscar.”

“You named the dead starfish?”

“Of course. He’s good luck.”

“That’s cute.”

“What?” Dwayne teases. “You don’t believe in luck?”

“I don’t really know, actually,” Nadia laughs.

Dwayne chuckles and pats her on the back as he walks toward Marko and leans in to whisper something in his ear. Marko nods, heads toward the red filing cabinet that that ugly wine bottle is still sitting on top of. He yanks open a drawer, fishes out a thick wad of cash, and stashes it in his pocket before winking at Nadia and bouncing toward the fountain, clapping his hands loudly. The group turns to face him, eyes wide.

“Kids, I’ll be right back with booze. Any requests, ladies?”

“Whiskey!” Reilly shouts.

“You got it, beautiful." Reilly flushes. He glances toward Nadia and raises his eyebrows. She shrugs.

“I’m cool with beer.”

“You got it.”

David nods at him just before he takes off. Reilly and Paul do a lap around the cave. His arm is firmly wrapped around her waist and he’s either whispering something - or he has his tongue firmly planted in her ear. Nadia can’t really tell which. David gestures at Nadia as he eases himself into a decrepit wheelchair near the back of the room. She smirks at him and he flashes her a boyish smile.

“Come and sit on my lap.”

Nadia raises an eyebrow while David continues to smile. His face is soft and beautiful. Irresistible, even. He raises his eyebrows when she doesn’t move. 

“Nadia!” He laughs. “Get over here!”

She looks back at Paul and Reilly who are sitting on an old rotting chair with their lips locked. Nadia shrugs and walks over to sit in David’s lap, relishing the soft purr that rumbles in his chest when he wraps his arms around her. He kisses her neck softly.

“You think you could learn to like it here?”

“Do you have bedrooms?”

“We do. It was an old hotel.”

“Are they clean?” she laughs.

David smiles.

“What do you think we are, neanderthals? Of course they’re clean. What makes you think they’re not clean?”

“Well, it’s just that I’ve seen you guys in the same clothes all the time.”

“Vampires don’t sweat, we have no body odor, so our clothes don’t smell.” He runs his lips up and down her neck. “There’s a pool to bathe in in the back of the hotel. We run the water in from the ocean.”

“Is it cold?”

“You get used to it,” he murmurs, licking a stripe up her neck. “You taste so good.”

Nadia moans softly.

“Where’s your bedroom?”

“In the back.”

“Will you give me the grand tour?”

David arches an eyebrow and grins.

“You want it now?”

She nods and he picks her up, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist. David looks over his shoulder at Paul.

“Watch the entrance, Paulie!” He calls.

Paul manages to rip his lips away from Reilly’s and smiles wide.

“Got it, D!”

David gently places Nadia back on the ground and wraps his hand around hers and tugs her toward a set of doors near the back of the cave.

“C’mon.”

He opens the door and ushers her inside. The bedroom is beautiful. There are candles littered everywhere and what looks like a freshly made bed. She smells fresh flowers and perfume. 

“Orchids,” he says, pointing to the dresser in the corner that’s decorated with flowers. 

“What’s this for?”

“For you. To entice you to stay.”

She laughs. At least he’s up front about his motives now. She looks around. The stone walls are adorned with homemade bookshelves stacked with volumes upon volumes of books. Nadia’s eyes go wide and she rushes for them while David lights a cigarette and hurls himself onto the bed, rumpling the silk. Most of the books on his shelf aren’t in English. She frowns and turns back to him.

“Are these books in Russian?”

“Ukrainian.”

“You’re Ukrainian?”

“Tak.”

“What does that mean?”

He giggles.

“It means yes.”

“You still speak it?”

“Every day.”

She plucks a thick book from the shelf and flips through it. The pages are thick. It’s old and it still smells like a mixture of a library and cigar smoke. David smiles at her and blows a smoke ring.

“That’s a second edition print of Anna Karenina.”

Nadia gasps softly and turns it over in her hands. It’s in pristine condition. He could make some serious money if he donated or sold some of these. David clicks his tongue softly, picking up on her thoughts. She can feel him sometimes, lingering like a stormcloud in the back of her head. 

“These have sentimental value.”

“Do you take them with you everywhere when you guys move around?”

“You think we move often?”

“Marko said you were two hundred years old - and your accent is gone. I just assumed you all relocated a lot.”

David smiles and reaches his hand out to touch hers.

“You’re very perceptive, Nadia.”

“Thank you.”

His eyes darken and he looks her up and down, licking his lips. She giggles and bites her lip. 

“Come here,” he purrs, pulling him on top of her. She giggles and her mouth finds his. David’s hands run softly through her hair and she feels him purr against her lips. Before he can increase the intensity of the kiss, she pulls away, eyes wide. She leans back and unbuckles his belt, peering at him with a bashful smile. David snickers. “What do you want, sweetheart?”

“Can I?” She asks, her hands slipping into the waistband of his leather pants. He’s already hard.

“Can you what?” He breathes. She licks her lips and he raises his eyebrows. She feels embarrassed just to say it. She’s not like Reilly. It’s hard for her to talk about sex, let alone demand something from a partner. David pushes a gloved hand through her hair and takes a drag from his cigarette. His eyes sparkle. “Can you give me a blowjob? Is that what you’re asking?”

“Yeah.”

He blows out a thick plume of smoke. 

“You can.”

Nadia grins and begins to slowly tug his pants down his hips, freeing his thick cock. She’s only done this a couple of times before with Nathan and every time, he was so quiet that she wasn’t sure she was doing it properly. Slowly, Nadia wraps her lips around the tip of David’s cock and sucks gently. A small, soft moan escapes his lips. She looks up and he’s taking a huge pull on his cigarette. The smoke seeps out like mist from between his full lips. God, he’s so gorgeous. Nadia opens her mouth wider to take him deeper and David growls, his hips bucking slowly upward. One hand comes to rest in her long, wavy hair, clutching it between his fingers. 

“Deeper,” he purrs.

She obliges, swallowing him as much as she can until she gags and has to pull back. David chuckles and lifts her head with one hand. Nadia coughs.

“Sorry,” she mumbles.

“It’s okay, babydoll. You’ve only done this a couple of times, huh?”

She nods. She feels totally inept but if David is thinking that, he never shows it. Instead, he flashes her an encouraging smile and grabs her wrist, placing her hand on his cock. 

“Here. Wrap your hand around the base -- just like that --” he lets out a ragged moan. “Put your mouth on the rest.”

Nadia does as she’s told and is rewarded with a loud, sultry sound that sends a shiver down her spine. She begins to bob her head up and down on his cock while her hand does the rest of the work. David’s hips begin to writhe and she can feel him shuddering beneath her. Their rhythm begins to match and soon he’s tossed his cigarette onto the floor and is whispering sweet nothings into the almost empty room.

“Ahhh, good girl,” he purrs. “Just like that. Shit.”

She can taste his precum beginning to leak out of the tip of his cock and moans softly. The sound sends David into a frenzy. The grip on her hair tightens and his hips work a little faster. Nadia responds in kind, increasing the pace and speed while sucking on him just a little harder. Just as she gets lost in the rhythm with one hand snaking up his bare thigh, a knock on the door startles her and she releases him with a loud pop. David lets out a whimper and tries to cover it with a snarl, but she hears it clear as day. Marko’s voice leaks through the door.

“Get out here, lovebirds! It’s drinking time!”

“Give us a minute!” David growls.

“Why?” Marko teases. “What’re you doing in there?”

“Marko, fuck off!” Nadia giggles and covers her mouth. David is smiling and glances down at his twitching cock. “I’m so close.”

“Are you?”

He nods.

“Have you ever swallowed before?”

“Yeah. It tasted so gross,” she confesses. It’s part of the reason why she stopped giving Nathan blowjobs.

His laughter bounces off of the walls. It’s beautiful, lighting his eyes up. 

“I promise, we’re not like any other man you’ve ever been with. I’ll warn you, okay?” He pauses. “That is, if you want to. I could always finish somewhere else.”

“No!” She protests. “I want to.”

She wraps her hand around the base of his cock and begins to suck on him again. He practically sighs with relief, her name leaking out of his mouth in gentle, gravelly groans. He encourages her gently, calls her baby and sweetheart while his fingers swim through her hair. Nadia feels safe. Comforted, even. She can feel her own arousal coiling inside of her, her own pussy aching and soaking the insides of her thighs. She knows he’ll reciprocate later. He always has. David’s thrusts become slightly more violent, the tip of his cock hits the back of her throat and she tries her best not to gag. 

“Nadia,” he growls. “I’m coming. Don’t stop.”

She speeds up and sucks harder. Within seconds, she feels him release into her mouth and he lets out a series of soft grunts and curses. She tastes almost nothing as she swallows and pulls away, wiping her mouth. 

“Was that okay?” she asks. 

David laughs and pulls her toward him, pressing his mouth to hers. Another thing Nathan would never let her do.

“It was great. You have to stop being so insecure.”

“It’s just, you’re so experienced and I’ve only been with like two guys,” she murmurs, stroking his cheek.

David flips her onto her back. Nadia yelps. She can feel him dragging his fangs up and down her neck.

“You and I are going to fuck like animals,” he whispers. 

“Now?”

He chuckles.

“Not now,” he mumbles as he rolls off of the bed and pulls his pants up. “Now, we drink. But trust me, sugar --” His hand dives between her legs and he massages her clit gently. Nadia’s head falls back and she lets out a quiet whimper. David grins. “I’ll take care of you later tonight.”


End file.
